Surprises on Vandal
by Kgirl1
Summary: My first FanFic! The team is captured on Vandal when they discover that the Vandals have been keeping a human slave. But there's more to her than meets the eye...COMPLETED, but with a sequel!
1. Chapter 1

BTW this is my first fanfic so if someone could explain what a "slash" is, what (character name)xOC means, and if I need a disclaimer, please put it in the comments! Thanks! No mean reviews but constructive criticism and new ideas are always welcome!

If I need a DISCLAIMER: I do not own Battle Force 5.

Finally, I know it's a bad title but hey, what can ya do?

"Ideas? Anyone?" Vert asked.

"Sorry Vert," Sherman, who was chained to a tree with the rest of the team, replied. 'These chains are super strong. I can't break them!"

"Yeah, not to mention the ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF VANDALS STARING HUNGRILY AT US!" Spinner screamed somewhat girlish-ly. (Is that a verb? Oh well, it's my story!)

"Chill Spin," Vert replied calmly. "We'll get out of this."

"I think not, subspecies!" Kalus walked up, growling. "I knew you would fall into my trap! It was only a matter of grabbing the battle key and waiting for you to follow into the portal! And now, Earth is free of it's pitiful defense force!"

"You'll never take Earth, Kalus!" Zoom yelled in frustration, struggling.

"HA!" Kalus laughed at his naiveté. "Hatch! Bring me my slave!"

"Yes, Kalus!" Hatch yelled, always eager to please. Hatch walked off into another part of the stronghold and returned moments later with…

Agura gasped!

Stanford's mouth dropped open!

"Is that…a girl?" Zoom asked incredulously.


	2. Chapter 2

Please review! Also, sorry for the really short chapter earlier. Also, please excuse the Vert and Agura minor romance, but they are my favorite couple! Anyway, on with the story!

The Battle Force 5 stared. Hatch had indeed walked back with a girl! She had a chain tying her wrists together, and was resisting Hatch as he pulled her towards Kalus. She was incredibly small and thin, coming up to Spinner's nose. Her dirty brown hair (note: the hair is actually ditty, like unwashed) hung in tangles halfway down her back. Her eyes were big and blue, and could have been pretty if they didn't seem to hold years of terror and sadness. These eyes fell upon the Battle Force, and widened in shock, b ut she quickly looked away.

Hatch brought the slave up to Kalus. He handed her the Battle Key. "Take this to the Vault, and prepare a Victory Feast that shall be remembered in centuries to come!"

The slave took the Battle Key, awkwardly holding it between her small, chained hands. She began to walk towards another part of the stronghold, when Sever tripped her with the butt of his spear.

"Thank your lord Kalus for the great honor of holding the key, subspecies!" He growled wickedly.

The slave, still on the ground, opened her mouth but no sound came out. She slowly got on her hands and knees. Only Agura's sharp eyes saw her slip the Battle Key into a hidden pocket of her dress. Suddenly, the slave moved like lightning! She twisted the spear away from Sever. As Vandals surged forward, the slave maneuvered around them, stabbing, tripping and pushing them back. As she fended them off, the Force murmured amongst themselves.

"DUDE! She took out like twenty Vandals on her own! Awesome!" Zoom exclaimed, watching the fight.

'Those Vandals appear to be at least four times her size. Theoretically, she shouldn't have lasted this long," Sherman mused as the slave, who had lost the spear in trade for a sword, continued to hold her own.

"She's got some serious dance moves!" Stanford noted, when finally, the onslaught became too much. The slave went down under a pile of Vandals. When she came out, Sever and Krocomodo were each holding one of her struggling arms. The slave, though bloodied and bruised, was still fighting them, but they held firm. They roughly dumped her on the ground at the base of a tree, and put a large iron band around her waist. The slave glared at them with murder in her eyes, and they quickly backed away.

"That was incredible!" Vert whispered to Agura, who nodded in agreement.

"Poor thing," Agura responded. "I wonder how she got h-"

"SILENCE!" Agura was cut off by Kalus, who, already infuriated that the slave had bested him, took out his anger on her and slashed her arm with his claws.

"AGURA!" Vert yelled. "You're going to pay for that, Fangface! Agura, are you okay/" He asked her anxiously.

"Ugh…I'm, I'll be..uh..fine." She grimaced, as her arm started to bleed through ther already torn battlesuit.

"Hang in there," Vert whispered caringly. "I'll get you out of this."

"I SAID-" Kalus roared, but was cut off by sounds of confusion from the Vandals. he turned around to see the Fangore, Riptile, Water Slaughter and Scarib levitating in the air! The cars quickly floated over the trees and out of sight.

"What the-"Spinner began.

"After the VEHICLES! FOOLS!" Kalus yelled at the horde. "Yellowfang! Blackroach! Guard the subspecies until we return!"

A feline and insect Vandal began menacingly walking towards the team.

"Keep an eye on the small, weak one too, not that it has the power to escape." Kalus grinned evilly at the slave, who was focusing intently in the direction the cars had floated off. She took a moment away from her focus to glare at him before he ran off to join the hunt.

As soon as he left, the two guards too out their weapons. But before they had taken another step, they collapsed, a feathered dart sticking out on the neck of each. Shocked, the team looked toward the slave, who was holding a hollow reed in her mouth. She then tucked it into another pocket of her dress, and raised her arms from where they had been holding the iron band tight on her hips. It easily slipped off and fell to the ground.

She then walked over to the guards, grabbed Blackroach's sword, and cut the chains from her hands. Then she started walking towards Battle Force 5.


	3. Chapter 3

"Uh, Vert?" Spinner asked, on the verge of screaming, when the slave stopped, and turned toward a nearby tree. She grabbed a bag, apparently made of animal skin from the branches. She used the sword to cut a few long leaves from a bush, and then stood in front of Agura, who was already pale from blood loss and in severe pain, for Kalus had cut deep.

Vert was filled with anger. Two people now had tried to attack his crush! "I swear, you touch her and I'll-"He stopped in surprise. The slave had cut Agura free and was using the leaves and something in a jar from her bag to bandage Agura's wound.

"Oh," Agura was surprised, but weak. "Uh, thanks." She smiled, but the slave simply looked down and put the supplies back in her bag.

The girl then freed the rest of the team; Vert immediately running to Agura's side and supporting her. The girl stood silently in front of the team.

"Uhm? Hello?" Stanford asked impatiently, waving his hand in front of her face. "Earth to slave?"

"Stanford!" Sherman lectured. "She's dumb!"

"Oh, so when I say Earth to slave, you yell at me, but when HE-" Stanford was cut off by Spinner.

"Not like that, dude," Spinner rolled his eyes. "She can't talk."

"Oh." Stanford giggled nervously. "Sorry, love."

The girl rolled her eyes. "I can speak just fine," She began, but her voice sounded as if she hadn't spoken in a long time. "I just…choose not to."

"HA!" Stanford yelled at Sherman and Spinner. The three immediately started a slap fight.

"Look," the girl began, talking instead to Vert, Agura and Zoom. "I don't know who you are, but I know where Kalus is keeping your cars. Take me back with you, and I will take you to them."

"Wait, you want to come to Earth?" Zoom questioned.

"I'm not sure, is it nicer than here?" The girl asked, with all seriousness. The team nodded. "Then yes."

"How do we know you won't attack us?" Vert challenged her, with a protective arm around Agura, who, exhausted from blood loss, was supporting herself against him.

The girl sighed, as if bored with their questions. "You have my word. And since I'm not a Vandal, that means something."

"Anyone else?" Vert gave them one last chance to object.

"She probably knows Vandal well," the slave nodded as Sherman spoke. "We won't have much of a chance without vehicles, and even if she tries something, the odds are 6-1."

"Alright," Vert said to the girl. "Lead the way."

(I'm on SPRING BREAK :) so the next update prob won't be for awhile! Please read and review!)


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hot Wheels or Battle Force 5.

"Good choice." The slave walked away from the group, then stopped…right in front of a tree. The Force stared at her in confusion.

"Well?" She stared back. "Are you coming?"

"Uh, I think spending all that time with the Vandals has gone to her head," Spinner joked.

The girl sighed. She grabbed a small twig sticking out of a crack in the bark of the tree and moved it down, then pushed on the bark. The team watched in shock as a piece of bark roughly the size of Spinner swung in to reveal that the tree was hollow. The girl turned around to see their amazed faces. She analyzed them, looking at the team, then the door, then back to the team muttering to herself, when suddenly she straightened, on high alert.

"Get in the tree."

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" Stanford cried in indignation. (I just love big words!)

"Kalus is coming! Move!" She shooed them toward the trunk, then directed them in. "You first," she told Spinner.

"Why me?" He asked, slightly fearful.

"Small ones first," She replied coolly.

"But I'm taller than you!" He whined, valiantly trying to avoid waiting all alone in the dark.

She groaned in exasperation, and shoved him in.

"WAAAaaahhh..OOF!" He screamed for the entire duration of the agonizingly interminable two-second drop, then landed in the cave under the tree with a thud. "I'm okay!" He shouted up shakily. (A/N: If anyone needs me to explain the system of trees, tunnels and caves, just PM me or say so in reviews.)

"There's a little bit of a drop!" She yelled into the trunk smugly. Zoom stifled a laugh.

"I wouldn't be laughing, scout. You're next." The girl replied.

Zoom jumped in, followed by Stanford. Agura, whose bandage was already crimson with blood, shakily left Vert's side and was about to follow when she collapsed. The slave, standing close, reached out and easily caught her. Sherman noticed this and was surprised, for Agura was nearly a foot taller than the petite girl, and wider too. (A/N: Agura is not fat at all; the slave is just incredibly thin and short from malnourishment)

"AGURA!" Vert cried in dismay.

"Get in the tunnel, Red." The slave replied when he tried to take Agura's unconscious body from her.

"But Agur-" he began to protest, not wanting to let Agura out of his sight.

"The huntress will be fine. You get in there, and your friend will lower her down to you." The slave made it clear that her plan was not up for debate.

"Alright," Vert gave in warily, still not trusting the slave 100%. He jumped in the tunnel. "Okay, send her down," he yelled up.

Sherman took Agura from the slave and gently lowered her down into Vert's gentle arms.

"Got her!" Vert yelled up

"I have to go last so that I can close it, so..uhm…" The slave looked doubtingly at Sherman's muscular form.

"Don't worry," He smiled reassuringly at her. "I think I can make it." He walked toward the opening in the bark and somehow squeezed himself in. The slave sighed with relief, glanced around the clearing one last time, grabbed her bag and disappeared into the tree.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hot Wheels or Battle Force 5.**

Underground, below the hollow tree trunk, was a larger cave, which was big enough fro Vert (holding Agura), Zoom, and Spinner to be pressed against the walls, in order to make room for the slave to drop down. Sherman and Stanford were hanging back, each in a different tunnel that lead out of the small cave. the slave dropped in and immediately pointed to one of the tunnels.

"This way," She decreed, walking up to the inky black mouth of the tunnel.

"B-but, it's…so…so DARK!" Spinner cried nervously.

"Oh." The slave looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I forgot." She reached into her bag and lit a torch on the wall. Grabbing it, she proceeded into the tunnel.

"Forgot to see?" Zoom whispered to Stanford, who nodded in confusion as they followed, when suddenly, they heard a loud pounding sound above their heads.

"Kalus has returned," The slave stated gravely. "From now on we _must _be completely silent. The team nodded and followed her into the unknown. (A/N: I was tempted to end here because of the suspense, but that would be lame. SO on with the story!)

They walked in the tunnel for several minutes. Occasionally they would hear Vandals running or driving above them. "Uhm, how strong is-"Spinner, forgetting that silence was essential to their survival, began to whisper, but Sherman immediately clamped a hand across his mouth. Spinner's eyes squinted in annoyance, then grew wide in fear, realizing that he had almost given them away. The girl whipped around and gave the older Cortez a death glare, then sent the younger brother a more thankful message.

A few yards after Spinner narrowly avoided an early death, the slave climbed up a ladder on the side of the tunnel. Moments later, she returned and grabbed Blackroach's sword from her bag.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing with that?" Vert accused her.

"Calm down, Red. A deal's a deal. And besides, as your friend here stated," she gestured to Sherman, "The odds are 6-1. I could probably take most of you, but the one with the small orange mammal stuck to his head is rather intimidating." She looked pointedly at Stanford, almost cracking a smile while the team snickered, but then the sadness resurfaced in her eyes, and she left the group and nimbly scaled the ladder. When she got to the top, the slave pressed an ear to the bark, listening. She then plunged the sword into the bark with as much strength as she could muster. The snickers and teasing stopped as the guys, Spinner in particular, stared at her in confusion.

"Why'd you-"

"OHM'GOSH DO YOU EVER STOP TALKING?" The slave snapped at Spinner, as did her patience. Spinner raised his hands in the "surrender" position. She simply sighed. "Everybody up."

"Wait, is this another one of those hollow tree trunks?" Stanford asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"How come the other one didn't have a staircase?"

"It did."

"Are you telling me that I bruised my royal backside for nothing?" Stanford cried in indignation. "You'll be hearing about this from my agent!"

"Agent?" The slave crinkled her eyebrows in confusion.

"Ugh!" Stanford huffed in exasperation. "Did you grow up under a rock?" The words left his mouth before he had time to re-consider them. (Flashback to episode "Deep Freeze" where Stanford says "Oh. Eh-he...I should think a little before I speak" and Agura nods! YAY for flashbacks! Btw, did anyone notice the moment in that episode between Vert and Agura? I did. I'm hypersensitive to their relationship! Crap, I lost my train of thought…was I writing a story? Oh yeah. Let's get back to that.)

The slave raised a defiant eyebrow.

Stanford's mouth dropped open and he blushed.

She shook her head in defeat. "Just go."

Stanford crawled up the ladder and cautiously peered through a peephole in the bark, which was disguised to look like an ordinary knot in the bark. _Whoever made these tunnels really did think of everything_ he thought to himself, but he would never publicly show that he was impressed. His ego was too great for that. He shook his head to clear it, and focused on what was outside of the tree. His emerald eyes found no threats, but instead the vehicles. "It's clear!" He whisper-yelled down.

"Perfect. Let's move." The slave replied. The team ascended the ladder and piled out into the clearing with their cars. Stanford was immediately stung by a mosquito. he raised his fist, about to go into a royal rant about how he hated this planet, but was immediately silenced by his team, who had seen the sting and knew what was coming. The slave emerged from the tree.

"Wow." She spoke, mesmerized by the cars. "These are…well, much more….um, advanced than the Vandal vehicles."

"Yah, they're just ducky, now may we please LEAVE?" Stanford said, making little effort to conceal his impatience.

"Good idea, Stan." Vert said. "Here, Agura rides with you." He tenderly placed her body in the Reverb.

"But my interior! She's bleeding!" Stanford cried, pointing to the soaked bandage. The slave walked over and pulled more leaves and a few jars from her bag. Seconds later, Agura's arm was freshly bandaged. Her battlesuit was red, but the blood had dried.

"That was fast," Vert observed. The slave shrugged off the praise.

"I've had practice."

"Uh, Vert?"

"Yeah Sherm?"

"How are we gonna get home? Kalus has the key." The younger Cortez pointed out the grim truth.

"Crap." Vert said. The team considered their situation for a minute, when the slave walked over to Vert. She pulled the key out from one of the many pockets in her dress and handed it to him. The team stared as he took the key with shock.

"I was going to hold on to it for a while longer, in case you tried something," She explained. "But I think I can trust you now." She gave a very small, close-lipped smile, relieved that after years of solitude and torture, she had found friends.


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hot Wheels or Battle Force 5. **

Vert smiled back as he took the key. "Thanks," he began, when Spinner shrieked.

"Really, Spin!" Sherman asked, frustrated that, even though they were able to silence Stanford, his little bro had blown their cover. "What's wrong?"

Spinner shakily pointed to the tree they had exited moments before. At the base of the tree lay a Carnivorat! (This was the only animal on Vandal they showed, so I used it. I think that they are about the size of small kangaroos, or at least they will be in this story)

"It's dead."

"Huh?" Confused, Spinner looked at the slave, who had spoken. "How do you know?"

"Remember how one end of Blackroach's sword is sticking out of the bark in that tree?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, the other half is in that." She pointed to the Carnivorat.

"How'd you know it was on the other side of the door?" Zoom asked.

"I'm a good listener." She dismissed the question. "Now can we please leave? Kalus will be sending guards soon."

"Right," Vert said, back on track. "Everyone, mount up. Buster, tow the Tangler back to the Hub." He ran over to the Saber as the Buster attached a cable to the Tangler, when he realized that the slave couldn't ride in the Reverb. "Zoom, she rides with you. Got an extra helmet?"

"Yup." Zoom pulled out Vert's red helmet (where does he pull it out from? He pulled it put from like thin air in the episode "Cage Match"!) and handed it to the slave. "Hop on!"

She took the helmet, confused, but after watching Zoom she got it on. Then she awkwardly walked over to the Chopper and sat behind him, cross-legged.

"You don't have much experience with motorcycles, do you?" He asked, smiling. She shook her head. "Okay, sit like I am," He instructed. She changed positions. "Good. Now, wrap your arms around my waist so you can hang on." She awkwardly did so. "Good. We're ready Vert!" Zoom called.

Vert used the Battle Key to open the portal back to Earth. As the cars drove through, the slave clenched her arms tightly around Zoom. Once they were on the other side, Vert reached for the Key and closed the portal. The girl still hadn't stopped trembling. Zoom noticed her shaking arms, still tight around his torso.

"A little scary, huh?" He said caringly. She nodded. "It's okay. My first time was scary too." He comforted her and she smiled. "You have a really nice smile," He flirted, trying to distract her as they drove toward the Hub. "You should smile more often." She blushed. By the time they were parked in the Hub, she had recovered, but hadn't let go. Zoom noticed this, but didn't mind. "We're here," he announced to her.

Vert, who had driven to the Hub the fastest, sprinted over to the Reverb. He opened the top, swooped in, speedily but carefully grabbed Agura, and ran towards the infirmary as quickly as he could without hurting her before Stanford had even parked the car. Sage appeared in his path.

"Greetings, Vert. Was the mission-" She stopped talking once she saw Agura. "We must take her to the infirmary at once!" Sage said with urgency. The two rushed off.

"Hey, wait for us!" Spinner called, hopping out of the Buster. Sherman and Stanford followed.

"Where are they going?" The slave (well not anymore, but I haven't told you her name yet and the only other thing to call her is "girl" but I found that confusing) asked Zoom.

"To check on Agura," He responded.

"The huntress?" The slave asked.

Zoom was shocked. "Well, yeah, but...how did you know that?"

The slave appeared flustered. "Uh..I'm good at reading people." She quickly covered.

"Is that how you knew I was the scout earlier?" He asked.

"Yeah." She replied, but Zoom was suspicious.

"Well, we better go check on her," he said, as they were still on the Chopper.

"Oh! Right!" She blushed, then unwrapped her arms from his chest. "Uh, Zoom?"

"Yeah?" He asked, dismounting from the Chopper.

"Thanks."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

**In case anyone is confused, she is thanking him for comforting her in the portal. That's all for now folks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**ARGH! I now realize that I totally ruined that romantic moment in the last chapter! Sorry!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hot Wheels or Battle Force 5. Or any combination of the two. **

**BTW: a score means twenty  
_**

Zoom and the slave (A/N: Her name will be revealed in this chapter!) ran to the infirmary. The team (including Tezz and A.J.) were all gathered there, anxiously circled around Agura, who was lying on the cot. She had a new bandage around her arm and an I.V. sticking out of the inside of her elbow (yup, that's where they put I.V.s. Hurts like DA CRAP!) The I.V. was pumping blood into her body.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Vert was asking Sage, who was about to respond when she noticed that Zoom had walked in with the slave, who was staring wide-eyed at the metal and technology. Sage gasped.

"Zoom?" She questioned him cautiously. "Who is that?" Battle Force 5 all turned around to face the girl. The ones who knew her looked guilty, wondering how Sage would react. Tezz and AJ simply looked shocked.

"Oh, uh, she's" Zoom looked to his teammates, silently asking for help. They awkwardly looked away.

"Stella." The slave said simply. She stuck out her hand, and Sage, surprised, shook it without really thinking about what she was doing. "Nice to meet you," Stella said.

"You aren't…surprised?" Spinner asked.

"I've seen weirder," Stella replied. Then she blushed. "Oh, I mean, not that YOU'RE weird, but like…" She trailed off, trying to apologize. Sage simply smiled.

"How did you find her?" Sage asked.

"On Vandal!" Vert replied, as if he still couldn't believe it. "Kalus got the Battle Key, so we slipstreamed to Vandal to get it back. But this time, Kalus got smart. He had a trap waiting for us and the next thing we knew, we were chained to trees." Vert then gave Sage a quick summary of their adventure.

"That is incredible." Sage mused. The slave blushed with pride.

"Please. It would be child's play to outsmart that fool Kalus. I am surprised you allowed yourselves to be captured by those barbarians in the first place." Tezz commented, to the annoyance of his "lesser intelligent" teammates.

Stella stormed over to him and looked up at him with murder in her eyes. This would have been comical, for Tezz towered over her by at least a foot, if she hadn't looked so furious.

"Yes, of course. Clearly it would be "child's play" to fight off a score of Vandals with your hands literally tied together and using only a spear! And it was mere "child's play" for me to wrap a deep, open wound using leaves and tree sap! And I'm sure any imbecile would find it CHILD'S PLAY to single-handedly memorize an intricate system of underground tunnels, not to mention lead six others through them!" The slave threw the words like daggers aimed for Tezz's head. The room suddenly got hotter, but the team didn't notice; they were watching Stella and Tezz. Sage, however, detected the change, and scanned for the anomaly (A/N that is how you spell it I swear!). She could not detect any technical change, however, so instead took a quick thermal scan of the team. Stella's temperature was unusually high, but Sage dismissed this and assumed it was simply her anger.

Tezz was taken aback. No one had ever dared insult him in such a manner. Furious, he was about to reply when Vert stepped between the two.

"Break it up, guys." Vert said with authority. "Stella,"

"I know." She interrupted him. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks." Vert replied. "And Tezz…" The blonde raised his eyebrows meaningfully and stared at the Russian. Words weren't needed. Tezz nodded to show he understood, but he was secretly still angry.

"Uhhh…" A soft moan from Agura temporarily silenced his inner thoughts. Vert immediately ran to her side.

"Agura?" He cried anxiously. "C-can you hear me?" Her eyelids fluttered, then opened.

"Vert?" She asked groggily. "What happened? "

"AGURA!" He cried joyously. "You're okay!" In elation, he kissed her, then blushed. Pleasantly surprised, she smiled at him as the team awkwardly looked away. Suddenly, the stormshock alarm rang, ruining the moment.

"Stormshock in 2.4 minutes," Sage announced. Agura tried to move, but Vert, caringly but firmly, pushed her back down.

"You need rest." He insisted. She sighed and lay back down.

"Who's going in for Agura?" AJ asked hopefully.

"Sorry AJ, but I think it'd be better if we didn't leave Tezz here." Vert apologized to his eager friend, who nodded as if to say "I understand COMPLETELY."

"Battle Force 5, let's go!" Vert commanded. The team ran to their cars.

**Ok. I'm not sure if Tezz can use Agura's chip, because he typically uses the Reverb's chip, but I couldn't send them into the Zone with only four cars! Please R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I would like to apologize for ruining the romantic moment between Vert and Agura in the previous chapter, but I didn't know how else to transition! Don't worry, they will have more moments! **

**Vert: good!**

**Agura: *giggles***

**Me: SILENCE, LOVEBIRDS! I MUST WRITE!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hot wheels or Battle Force 5.**

(Time lapse)

The team was doing okay in the Zone, until the Reds showed up.

"Ugh! Awfully rude of them to crash the party!" Stanford complained as he fired sonic blasts at Kyrosys. Tezz was having trouble with Kyburi, who, without Agura to fight, had settled for him.

"Where's your hunter, Electricity Boy?" She mocked him. "Too scared to come?" She was immediately assaulted by the Saber, with a furious Vert at the wheel.

"Agura's braver than you'll ever be, Kyburi!" He said, nearly slicing the Venikus in two. Kyburi dodged just in time. She howled in fury, and pursued her new prey.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team was holding their own. Kytren and Zoom were in a nimble battle, while they Buster went against both halves off Krylox's car. Tezz and Stanford were battling Krytus and Kyrosys, each using their artillery to keep the Sentients at bay. Zoom finally succeeded in beating Kytren when Vert's voice came over the com-link.

"Uh, guys?"

"What's your status, Vert?" Zoom, being the only one not busy, asked him.

"Kyburi chased me into a small cave. She caused a rockslide at the entrance before I could get out. The rocks are too thick for the Saber, and Kyburi sealed me in pretty tight. I'm not sure how much oxygen I have left."

"I'll be there as soon as I can!" Zoom replied.

"No, that won't help," Vert said. "Go back to the Hub and get AJ. Maybe he can drill me out of this."

"On it!" Zoom replied, and quickly sped off. Minutes later, he was in the Hub. "Sage!" He yelled. The Sentient appeared almost immediately; AJ and Stella close behind.

"What is the problem, Zoom?" She inquired.

"Vert got trapped in a cave and I need AJ to drill him out!" Zoom said breathlessly.

"I'm afraid that AJ will be of little help," Sage replied regretfully. "If he attempts to drill through, the cave will collapse, trapping Vert."

"Well we have to do SOMETHING!" Zoom cried in dismay.

"I can help."

Everyone looked at Stella, who had spoken, in shock.

"How?" Zoom asked. "No offense, but this isn't Vandal."

"I know." She replied. "I can't explain now, but I know I can help him. You'll just have to trust me." AJ looked at Zoom, who looked at Sage.

"We do not have many options at this point," She slowly reasoned. "It certainly couldn't hurt."

"Well let's go then!" Zoom exclaimed. He and Stella ran over to the Chopper. As they drove out of the Hub and onto the salt flats, he asked "So how are you going to help Vert?" She responded with a mysterious "You'll see."

**AND YOU WILL SEE! In the next chapter! My first cliffhanger! I'm so proud! Actually I guess chpt one was a cliffhanger but I added chpt two right away so…**

**Well, read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Back in the BattleZone, the rest of the team wasn't doing so well, mostly because it was three against four. No one had been seriously injured yet, but Tezz, Stanford and the Cortez brothers were taking a beating.

"Zoom?" Stanford tried contacting him through the com-link. "Ugh! When I get my hands on that little ditcher I'll-" He stopped when the Chopper flew overhead, with Stella on it.

"What is the girl doing here?" Tezz demanded. "She is useless!" He earned another death glare from Stella.

"No time to explain! Just follow me!" Zoom yelled as he landed the Chopper and drove off to Vert.

"Hmmm…new prey!" Kyburi laughed evilly and pursued the Battle Force 5. Her teammates followed.

"Where's Vert?" Stella yelled as they approached the mountain (The cave is one of several in the mountain). Zoom pointed to a pile of rubble in front of the cliff face.

"Cover me!" She yelled and then, as Zoom watched in shock, she jumped off the Chopper, tucking and rolling as she hit the ground, then coming up in a crouch.

"Stella!" Zoom yelled in concern. The rest of the team came up, with the Reds close behind.

"What? Has she gone completely mad?" Stanford exclaimed.

"We've got a bigger problem, guys!" Sherman exclaimed as Krylox (the big dude with two halves) rammed the Buster. The team started fighting, forming a protective semi-circle around Stella. They were too busy with the task at hand to pay her much attention, but Stanford caught a glimpse of her when flipping the Reverb to take a shot at Krylox.

"Woah!" He breathed, barely above an amazed whisper. This caused everyone, human and Sentient, to turn their heads. Their eyes met the sight of Stella, facing them with her arms extended and surrounded by floating chunks of rock! Suddenly, the rocks flew towards the Reds. Stella seemed to be controlling them by gesturing with her arms and hands.

Krylox and Kyrosis were too astounded to react to the avalanche, and as they were buried, two floating red orbs emerged from the rubble and were whisked off to their re-spawn chambers. This left Krytus and Kyburi.

"Kyburi! Capture that human! She could be useful to us." Krytus commanded. Kyburi grinned in anticipation of the hunt and shoved past the Splitwire, for Tezz was still shocked. Stella saw her coming and hurled a particularly large rock at her, but Kyburi caught it (with her car, not her arms) and sent it hurtling back towards her. Stella stopped it in mid-air, but was forced to drop the rest of the rocks from the air (In case anyone hasn't figured it out, Stella is controlling the rocks). Kyburi pounced. She grabbed Stella with one arm of her car and used the other five to drive into the portal to the Red Sentient Homeworld. Krtyus followed and the portal closed right in front of the Chopper.

"Stella! NO!" Zoom yelled!

"This…is very bad." Spinner observed.

"Why are we wasting our time on that impudent child?" Tezz demanded.

"She's not a child, Tezz, and I would be careful using that word after your last argument with her!" Zoom snapped. "Also, she saved our butts, so we have to save hers!" Tezz groaned.

"I agree Zoom, but first let's get Vert!" Sherman brought them all back to reality. They brought their cars as close to the mouth of the cave as possible, then got out and walked in. Inside the cave they found the Saber, with a few dents but otherwise undamaged, and Vert, slightly dizzy from oxygen deprivation but otherwise fine.

"Vert! You ok, buddy?" Zoom ran to his friend.

"Uhhhh…" Vert groaned. "Zoom? That you?" He asked. "Did we get the Key?"

"Yeah," Zoom responded reassuringly. "But the Reds…uhmm…"

"What happened?" Asked Vert, his head cleared.

"Well, they got Stella."

"What? How?" Zoom filled Vert in. "Well, we gotta save her! Let's go back to the Hub and stash this Key, then we'll rescue Stella." Vert commanded. Everyone ran to their vehicles and drove off towards home.


	10. Chapter 10

"Honey! I'm home!" Spinner joked as they drove into the Hub.

"Excellent. Was the mission a success?" Sage replied.

"Yup." Spinner handed her the Battle Key.

"How's Agura?" Vert asked, already running upstairs to the infirmary.

"She is recovering and will be fine by tomorrow." Sage responded to thin air, for Vert was already gone.

"So Sage?" Zoom asked casually.

"Yes, Zoom?"

"Well, let's just say we had to go to, oh, I don't know, the Red Sentient Homeworld? You could make a Battle Key that would send us there, right?"

"Easily. Why do you ask?"

"Well, we sorta….uhm…..got Stella captured." He muttered.

"What did you say?" Sage asked, confused. Tezz butted in.

"The little girl got herself captured by Kyburi and now we apparently have to save her." he said boredly.

"She has been captured! Why would they target Stella? Did it have anything to do with her helping Vert?" Sage asked.

"Well, yes." Sherman began, and recounted the details of Stella's incredible power.

"Oh my." Sage breathed, shocked.

"So, if you could get us a Battle Key, we'd go off, rescue her and be back before lunch, that'd be great!" Stanford said casually.

"I will modify the Key." Sage responded. Then, Vert came back down the stairs.

"How's Agura?" Sherman asked.

"She's doing all right, just tired. She won't be able to drive for another day or two." Vert said.

"Battle Key modified." Sage handed Vert the Key.

"All right, team, let's go! Sorry AJ, you're on Hub duty." Vert apologized.

"It's cool dude, that planet's smoking hot!" AJ responded. The cars drove off.

Stella POV:

The female Red Sentient rolled to a stop. She dropped me on the ground, and suddenly, the car vaporized, and she was left standing there. The other one, the leader, did the same and walked over to me and kicked me in the side.

"On your feet, human." He commanded. As much as I hated him, I had been in this situation before, and knew it was best to do whatever he said. I got up, and he immediately clipped handcuffs around my wrists. They were too big, and I could have easily slipped out of them, but I didn't let the Red know that. Kalus had the same problem with me. I was always small, and being fed once a day on Vandal didn't help, so he resolved to putting the Vandal-sized handcuffs around my waist, which was also ineffective. Fortunately, he never figured it out.

Krytus was leading me by the chain attached to the handcuffs into what appeared to be a stronghold, surrounded by walls (as seen in Stone Cold Warrior). I knew once I entered those gates, I wouldn't be coming out, but I simply followed him, already noting details and forming escape plans. He stopped in the middle of a large clearing.

"We know what you are capable of, human." He spat. I remained silent. "How were you able to move those rocks? Are you an ally of Rawkus?" I simply stared back at him. I knew he had heard me talking in the BattleZone, so acting as if I couldn't speak wouldn't work as it did on Vandal, but I didn't want to reveal anything unless forced to.

"Answer your captor!" The female slashed out at me, and with my handcuffs I could do little to defend myself. She caught me on the arm, leaving three red lines of blood. Trying to dodge her, I tripped on the chain and fell to the ground (which hurts way worse when you don't have any fat to cushion you), bruising my hip and receiving another cut across my forehead.

"Patience, Kyburi!" Krytus snapped. She crossed her arms across her chest. "Now, answer!" He demanded.

"I do not know who Rawkus is." I replied calmly, as the blood from my cut started to drip down my forehead. I used my dress to blot at it.

"Then how did you control the boulders?" He asked.

"What boulders?" I responded. Krytus yelled in fury. He formed his right hand into a sword, grabbed me by the collar of my dress, and lifted me into the air; his blade at my throat.

"I don't like to play games, human." He whispered with menace. "You could be of great use to us if I let you live, but if you do not wish to give us any information…" He trailed off and pressed the blade to my neck, drawing a thin line of blood. I swallowed, hard, trying to weave a lie to bide myself some time. Suddenly, I heard engines in the distance. Krytus looked in the direction of the noise, and shouted, the sound of pure rage.

"BATTLE FORCE FIVE!" He yelled. He dropped me onto the ground, and I lightly touched my throat. My fingers came away covered in my own blood. He roughly grabbed me again, yanked me up and threw me on the hood of his car, all of which was incredibly painful. then he and Kyburi drove toward Battle Force 5.

Battle Force 5-Normal POV

"Here comes Krytus and Kyburi!" Spinner warned the team. Vert put on his glasses and scanned them.

"Crap."

"What?" Zoom asked.

"Krytus has Stella."

"Thanks for the report, Captain Obvious." Spinner replied sarcastically.

"Heh. Good one Spin." Sherman knuckle-touched his bro.

"No, Krytus has Stella ON THE HOOD OF HIS CAR!" Vert replied.

"Oh." Spinner laughed nervously. "Crap." The two teams got closer.

"Alright guys, go for Kyburi. Whatever you do, DON'T hurt Stella. Zoom, try to swoop in and grab her while we distract them."

"Got it Vert!" Zoom separated the Chopper's two wheels and flew into the air. Tezz and Stanford teamed up on Kyburi, each blasting her.

"We are outnumbered, Krytus!" She hissed.

"They will not leave without the girl!" He responded, right before Stanford took the perfect shot and she dissolved into a glowing orb of red energy.

"Give her back, Krytus." Vert said. "Face it, you lost." Krytus looked around to find that he was surrounded. Vert took advantage of his distraction and activated the blades on the Saber. He drove straight through the Syfurious, and Krytus vaporized, as his energy swirled off to its respawn chamber.

Stella collapsed on the ground. Zoom immediately ran over to her and saw that she was bleeding. A lot.

"We gotta get her back to the Hub!" He said and picked her up.

"Woah, careful Zoom." Vert said. "Don't want you to strain yourself."

"Nah, I'm good." He replied. "She weighs like two pounds!" He walked over to the Reverb and rapped on the top. "Open up, Stan."

"But she's BLEEDING! MY INTERIOR!" He whined. Zoom simply ignored him and gently deposited her on the seat.

"Hmph."

"Let's go guys!" Vert said. They sped off to the Hub.

**YAY for my longest chap. ever!**


	11. Chapter 11

The team drove into the Hub. Zoom ran over to the Reverb and gently lifted Stella out (A/N: This is a lot like earlier when Vert was helping Agura! Curse my non-creativeness!). Sage appeared.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Stella got hurt and she's bleeding and I don't even know if she's breathing and we need to help her now so come on!" Zoom rambled in panic as he ran toward the infirmary, only to be stopped by Sherman.

"Dude! Move!" Zoom cried in frustration.

"Sorry, Zoom. I know you care about her, but panicking won't solve anything, and neither will hurting yourself." The mature Cortez reasoned as he took Stella.

"I told you she's not-" Zoom protested.

"I agree she doesn't weigh much, but you shouldn't even be lifting this much as it is. I know you're strong, Zoom, but you're not Superman." Sherman left him with this statement and walked off to the infirmary.

Sage was already waiting. Sherman laid Stella on the cot next to Agura, who was sleeping with Vert already at her side. The rest of the team, except Tezz, filed into the room. The noise woke Agura up, which she wasn't too happy about.

"For the last time I'm-OHMYGOSH WHAT HAPPENED?" She asked, going into mother-mode upon seeing Stella, broken and blood-covered lying on the cot next to her.

"She got captured by the Reds." Zoom explained sadly.

"How did that happen?" Zoom was about to explain to her but Sage stopped him.

"If I am to heal her to the best of my ability, you all need to leave." She said, politely but firmly. Everyone sighed and slowly left.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Vert whispered to Agura. She smiled at him.

Zoom was the last to go. "I am sorry Zoom, but she needs rest." Sage motioned for him to leave. He sighed.

"Ok, but let me know AS SOON as she wakes up!" He said, and left.

"Awwww.." Agura murmured. Sage looked over.

"Is something the matter, Agura?"

"Nah. It's just so obvious how he likes her! It's adorable!" Sage smiled. "So what happened to her? How did the Reds capture her? Why was she in the Battle Zone?"

"I believe your teammates will have to answer those questions for both of us later." Sage replied. Agura sighed in frustration. She HATED being left out, and always tried so hard to fit in, which was difficult when you were surrounded by guys. The Huntress sighed and turned over.

A Few Hours Later

*The guys are in the game room, waiting for the news*

Sage walked in, and they all instantly stood up. "She will recover." Everyone sighed in relief.

"Can we see her?" Zoom asked anxiously.

"Yes, but be-" Sage was cut off as Zoom barreled past her. "Quiet." She finished as the others ran to the infirmary.

Zoom POV:

I think that was the fastest I've ever run. I was at the infirmary in no time. I glanced around and found Stella. She looked awful. She had a bandage on one arm running from her shoulder to her wrist. There was a bandage wrapped around her forehead, and another on her neck. Finally, her left arm was in a sling and an IV was in her elbow.

"Hey." She smiled weakly as she saw me.

"You look awful!" I exclaimed without really thinking. "Smooth, dude." Stanford, who had entered behind me with the others, nudged me.

"You should see the other guy." She smirked. Everyone laughed at her bravery.

"Seriously, what all did you do?" I asked.

"Nothing major. A few scratches, couple bruises, and…oh, I broke…" She looked to Sage questioningly.

"Two ribs," The Sentient replied. "Not counting the others that have already healed. You clearly have not had an easy time on Vandal."

"Yeah, and not a short one either." Stella muttered under her breath.

"Speaking of which, how did you get on Vandal? And how'd you control all those rocks? And why-" Spinner began asking, but Sage stopped him.

"In time, Spinner. First we must allow her to rest." Sage drew a curtain between Agura and Stella, and motioned us out of the room.

No POV:

"Sage, we need answers! I know she needs to recover but-" Vert began as they walked away from the infirmary, but Sage held up a hand to silence him.

"I have given Stella a sedative through the IV In a few minutes it will take effect, and we will be able to study her. Now, explain exactly what you saw her doing." Sage listened patiently as the team recounted her ability.

"And you are sure she was controlling the rocks?" She asked them.

"Well, no." Zoom answered sheepishly. "But it sure seemed like it."

"The sedative will have taken effect by now. I will see if I can find an anomaly when we scan her." Sage said, and they walked towards the infirmary.

The Infirmary: Stella POV:

I could hear the others walking back now. They would probably be a little surprised when they found me wide awake. I mean, come on! What did they think I was gonna do, when an (almost) stranger (who's blue, for crying out loud!) stabs a needle into me? Let it sit there? I don't think so! So, yeah I took it out the second Sage turned around.  
Is that really a crime? I grew up where the idea was that if you aren't at the top of your game, you're at the bottom of the food chain. Well, I better have my story down for when they get in here.

Infirmary: No POV:

"Stella? You're awake?" Vert asked. Sage was shocked.

"But, I gave her at least-" She stopped when Stella, with a guilty look on her face, dangled the IV needle.

"Stella!" Vert scolded her. He found it hard to be mad at someone so small and fragile looking, and with all her injuries.

"I'm sorry, but what was I supposed to do? It's not like I grew up all "Kum-bayah! Trust strangers!" She said. "If you wanna know about me, instead of splitting me open," She looked meaningfully at Sage, "Just ask!"

"We thought you wouldn't tell us…" Sherman said guiltily.

"Maybe not since you tried to DRUG ME!" Sherman looked down. "I'm just kidding!" she reached out and lightly punched him, then winced. "Sage, how long will it take for my ribs to heal?"

"Six to eight weeks." The Sentient replied.

"Ugh! I can NOT wait that long!" Stella huffed.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Spinner asked realistically.

"Apparently nothing." She said, then attempted to cross her arms over her chest, but grimaced and stopped.

"Well, are you going to tell us your "mystery history" or not?" Stan ford demanded, and got a nudge from AJ.

"Chill dude."

"Well, it's no bedtime story…" Stella warned them, and began.

**BOOM! *That was the sound of you falling off this cliffhanger ending!***


	12. Chapter 12

Stella POV:

"I've literally been on Vandal for as long as I can remember." Spinner snorted at the cliché, but I ignored him and elaborated. "The thing is, I woke up in Hatch's lab. I didn't know how I got there, and I didn't know why. I couldn't remember anything about my past, or even about myself. It was…horrible. I was so young…" I paused, a lump forming in my throat. I had never really talked about my past. I had tried to hide it in the deepest corner of my mind. It had been so long, and now all the memories, all the tests, all the pain and torture…all the despair was coming back. Zoom placed a comforting hand on my back. I smiled at him through watery eyes.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." I had never had anyone to talk about my past with. I had never wanted to bring it up. But there was something about these people that made it seem so…okay. I was raised by Vandals. I learned to think of compassion as a weakness, as just another emotion that stood in the way of domination. But being around them, with their smiles, kindness, was…almost difficult for me. I felt like I didn't belong, like a jagged puzzle piece trying to wedge it's way into a bunch of smooth ones.

"Well, I woke up on the floor of his lab."

_Stella Flashback_ (She is telling the team this, but I figured it would be easier to write. Also, (Narration) is when she is talking about the story, not what she is thinking.)

I woke up to the sounds of fighting and arguing. I blearily rubbed my eyes. Why was I on the ground? Who, or what, was in front of me? Who was I? My eyes focused on…I screamed. Both…creatures suddenly looked over at me, one with beady black insect eyes, the other a crocodile with one eye blind (Hatch and Krocomodo). They started to walk towards me. I backed away, only to find I was cornered against a wall.

"Don't be afraid, little sub-specie." The insect cackled. "Hatch will take good care of you." I shrank against the wall.

"Hatch! This meat-creature is mine! I stormed it's Homeworld and captured it, so I get to eat it!" The crocodile lectured.

"But Krocomodo! It is similar to the subspecies in Battle Force 5! I can experiment on it to find how to beat them with my black magic." Hatch, as I had learned it was called, grinned evilly. I didn't know what he meant, but I knew it wasn't good. I curled up and closed my eyes while the two argued. "It's just a dream" I repeated to myself. "When I wake up, everything will be okay". (Narration: I laughed bitterly at this memory. I was so naïve. Too naïve. Too young). I opened my eyes, and the nightmare was still there.

"Fine!" Krocomodo spat, and stomped off. Hatch walked up to me, grabbed my arm with a pincer and yanked me up.

"You are my slave now." He rubbed his pincers together awkwardly. "Disobey me, and the consequences will be very painful…" He acted unsure, as if he had never had a slave before. I was shocked to the core and didn't respond.

"Hmm…this one does not have the power of speech. Interesting." Hatch murmured, and turned his back on me. (Narration: I didn't understand him. I didn't know what was happening. I didn't speak for weeks, simply went through everything numbly. The Vandals thought I was an idiot. For awhile I was. But I learned.)

Hatch turned back around, holding a vial with a green liquid in it. "Drink this." He instructed. Against my better judgment, I took a cautious sip. Almost instantly, my stomach tightened. I doubled over in pain and curled up on the floor. Hatch stood there, watching me, recording results. A proud grin was on his face. I vomited several times and began to dry heave. After nearly an hour, it was over. I collapsed on the hard, unforgiving ground, shaking uncontrollably as I wiped saliva off my mouth.

"Too concentrated," Hatch muttered. He poured a clear liquid into the mixture, watched it churn and swirl, and handed it to me again, indicating that I should drink it. I looked at him through salty, tear-swollen eyes, and backed away. He thrust it toward me again, and when I did not take it, he grabbed my chin, tilted it so my mouth was open, and poured the mixture in. I began to choke, swallowing some of it. Instantly, the cramping began. I dry heaved for several minutes, paralyzed on the floor.

"Perfect!" Hatch announced. I lay there, sobbing, in pain, and alone.

_End Flashback_

Stella POV:

The team stared at me, their faces a mixture of horror, angst and…what looked like pity. I couldn't remember the last time I saw that. I reached to brush a piece of hair out of my face, trying to avoid their eyes, and found that my face was wet. I was crying.

"That's…horrible." Sherman said. "To do that to someone…how old were you?"

I stared up at his kind, strong face.

"I was seven."


	13. Chapter 13

Everyone stared at me in silent disbelief and horror. I got a lump in my throat, looking at the kind faces in front of me, when suddenly Agura stood up, dragged her IV over to my cot, and hugged me. I was shocked, scared because whenever something came close to me my radar went on high alert, and…I hugged her back, as tightly as I could. The tears, held back by the barrier of my pride for so long, streamed down my face. It didn't matter anymore. Not with these people. Somehow, my puzzle piece had found a way to fit.

Vert POV:  
I watched Agura as Stella told her story. I know her better than anyone, and I saw her heart break. All of us see Agura as the mother figure, and I saw her smoothly slide into that role with Stella. I was proud, because Stella needed someone like Agura to take care if her. I watched the two, tightly hugging, and decided it wasn't for us guys. I motioned for the team to leave.

Agura POV:  
It was so hard for me, watching Stella try to keep control. My heart went out to her. She clearly had never been hugged. As I gripped her tiny body, a tear slid down my cheek. No one should have to go through that, especially not a seven-year old. Finally, as the team left, I released my grip. She looked at me with that innocent, tear-streaked face and seemed so young. I put on a bright smile.

"Alright hon, let's get you cleaned up." She stared at me in confusion.

"Where's the river?" I laughed at this, but stopped when I saw her serious face.

"Well, here on Earth, the water comes right to your house with pipes." I tried to explain simply.

"You're kidding." She replied.

"I'll show you!" I said, and took her to my bathroom. I showed Stella the Jacuzzi bathtub (THANK YOU SAGE!) and the shower.

"Okay, but where's the WATER?" She asked, tired of playing games.

"Watch this." I said, and turned on the sink. Her jaw dropped as water flowed from the faucet.

"How are you doing that?" She asked in amazement. "Are you," She leaned in secretively and whispered, "controlling it?"

Her secrecy confused me, so I put it aside and said "No, it's just pipes and…stuff." I didn't really know how it worked! "Think of it as a…waterfall!"

She seemed satisfied with this, and stepped in the shower. She looked up, down, spun around, then turned to me. "How do you turn it on?" I reached over and turned on the water.

"Aaaahhhh!" She screamed shortly when it came out of the nozzle, then recovered. "Oh. I get it."

I realized that she was still wearing her clothes, but in the state they were in…well, it certainly couldn't hurt. "I'll be back in a few minutes to help you with your hair." I said. "The towels are under that cupboard, and the soap is on the shelf." She nodded as I pointed out various items.

"Got it!" Stella smiled brightly, her tears dried. I left to try to find her some clothes.

Stella POV:  
I didn't understand the whole "shower" thing, but I did know that it was quite possibly the best experience of my life. Once had left, I took off my dress (A/N: This is as awkward as it gets, I promise!) and used the soap Agura had given me. I literally watched the dirt stream down the drain. Then I shampooed and conditioned my hair. I knew it was going to be a pain to comb out later, but chose to focus on the bliss of the shower instead. A few minutes later, I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself, then went to the sink and used the remainder of the soap to clean my dress. I was draping it on a towel rack to dry when Agura walked back in, holding some clothes.

No POV:  
Agura handed Stella a pair of shorts and a white T-shirt. "Try these on." She said. Agura hoped Stella would never find out that they were Spinner's. Stella put on the T-shirt. It hung loosely on her, gaping around her torso. She pulled the shorts on, only to have them immediately fall back down. Agura began hoping Spinner would never find out about this.

"Okay! So we need to go shopping!" Agura said, laughing at the sight of Stella with the T-shirt flowing around her like a dress.

"Why can't I just wear my old dress?" Stella asked. Agura looked at the ragged material hanging limply from the towel rack. She sighed.

"For now. Wait, how'd you get that?" Agura asked.

"I made it." Stella responded. "The Vandals gave me the equivalent of a potato sack for clothes, so I made it out of animal skin and sewed it together with vines."

"You made that?" Agura asked as Stella nodded and pulled the dress back on. The dress was crude, but well-designed, as she could see Stella slipping various bottles and weapons into hidden pockets.

"What are all those?" Agura asked suspiciously. Stella laughed.

"If I promise not to use them on you, can you wait until we get my bag and show the guys?" Agura nodded.

"Okay, first let me see that hair." She said, grabbing her toughest comb. She began untangling the hair. Agura winced every time she yanked through a tangle, but Stella seemed unaffected.

"Just let me know if I'm pulling too hard, k?" Agura said.

"Oh, don't worry. The Vandals yanked my hair all the time. My scalp is literally missing nerve cells." Stella replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, we're gonna have to cut some of this off." Agura said.

"Thank you." Stella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you want me to do it?" Agura asked.

"Agura, please just chop off this rat's nest and be done with it!" Stella grew impatient.

"Okay, okay!" Agura grabbed a pair of scissors and did her best. When she was done, she combed out the rest of Stella's now-slightly-longer-than-her-shoulders hair, and gasped.

"What?" Stella gasped, her fight-or-flee impulse, which was stronger than most's, activated.

"You're blonde!" Agura said in shock. Stella glared at her.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious, for the heart attack!" Stella said, her voice joking.

"I just thought you were brunette because…" Agura trailed off when she realized where she was going with her statement.

"Don't feel bad. It was a protective layer of dirt. I used to be a lot tanner, too." Stella smiled. "Thanks for helping me."

"No problem." Agura said, pulling the comb through her hair casually, when suddenly, Sage burst in.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but Stella is not healthy enough to be moving around!" Agura looked guilty when she realized what she had done, but Stella looked a bit guiltier.

"Actually, Sage, I'm fine."

"That is illogical." Sage replied. "It is impossible for the human body to heal that fast. You need to lay back down!" She walked Stella and Agura out of the room and into the main center of the Hub, then towards the infirmary. She strictly had Stella, still protesting, lay down for an X-ray. A few minutes later, the machine stopped.

"This is…incredible!" Sage exclaimed. "You have made a complete recovery!" Stella reached into her dress and pulled out a necklace, with an odd medallion on it. It was a circle, with five round holes on the edge. In the middle, a golden stone glowed with a golden light. Each hole on the edge was filled with a small glass bubble, and each was interacting. One had blue water inside it, constantly and rhythmically moving in waves. Another had silver swirls, gently blowing back and forth across the sphere. One simply had dirt in it, but even the earth was moving around. The fourth had a small fire inside, but it seemed more of a cheerful blaze than an inferno. The last stone just black, with no activity. The team (including the boys who had walked over) stared at the necklace. The center stone stopped glowing, and became a pearly white.

"NOW I'm fine." Stella smiled at Sage.

"Woah! That was so COOL!" Spinner said. "Can I see it?"

"Sorry, it doesn't come off." Stella said.

"Why are those stones moving?" Sherman asked.

"I honestly don't know." Stella shrugged.

"Is that how you heal yourself?" Sage asked.

"Yeah." Stella responded. Tezz walked up, and Vert glanced at Agura. They exchanged a look that basically said "Crap."

"So, with the ability to heal yourself, your ordeal would not have been nearly as difficult as you so melodramatically made it seem?"

They all felt the temperature rise. Sage, remembering the previous anomaly, scanned the room again. This time, Stella's heat signature was off the charts. The Sentient figured it had something to do with her ability to move the rocks, and decided to wait until she had calmed down to investigate.

"Melodramatic?" Stella took a step toward Tezz. "MelodraMATIC? I was not exaggerating the abuse, Tezz (Tezz flinched at the mention of his name). That went on for six years! Have you ever fought a dozen Vandals for a crust of bread? Or been punished for crying by having your arm broken? I haven't slept more than an hour in weeks!" Her necklace looked a lot different now, Zoom noticed. The once calm water was now a swirling hurricane. Another had a miniature tornado inside, and the dirt was swirling madly around. But the once warmly glowing fire sphere was the most terrifying. The flames danced crazily, flaming bright and angry. Even the white stone in the middle was glowing again, with reddish light. Zoom shook his head and re-tuned in to what Stella was saying.

"Even though I could heal all the broken bones, the cuts, and the bruises, nothing, and I mean nothing, will EVER heal the pain of not knowing who I was all those years. It was hard enough being there, but I had nothing to remember, nothing to hang onto, no one. I used to tell myself that I would never wish my childhood on anyone. You're making me want to take that back." She stood there, shaking with cold fury, staring Tezz down, then stomped away.

"I'm going outside." She punctuated each word. Seconds later, they heard a door slam, and the temperature dropped.

"That was real nice Tezz." Vert groaned.

"She is impossible! You cannot expect me to deal with that urchin!" Tezz shouted.

"She didn't do ANYTHING to you dude! Why do you always have to be so…ugh!" Zoom yelled at Tezz, then went after Stella.

"Zoom." Sage stopped him. "That may not be wise. I have scanned Stella and believe that she was responsible for a temperature change in the room. Based on what you have told me, and her necklace, I believe she is able to control fire as well. She is still very angry and probably using that power to her full ability. I would wait."

"So she can control FIRE too?" Spinner asked. "Should we be scared?"

"Only if you're TEZZ." Agura glared over at her teammate.

"I fail to see how I am at fault here." Tezz responded coolly.

"Wait, if Stella can control fire," Sherman began. They all turned to hear the level-headed Cortez's logic. "Then it's probably her most unstable gift. Weren't you guys watching her necklace?" The others nodded.

"You got lucky Tezz! You were almost a human barbecue!" Spinner said.

"Hmph." Tezz humphed. (Ok, call me a dork, but I find that very clever wordplay.)

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Zoom asked.

"Just give her some time to cool down." Vert said.

"No! What if…what if she leaves?" Zoom asked, and ran out of the Hub.


	14. Chapter 14

**ARGH! Computer was being a turd-nugget, so I had to re-type the first part of this. Sorry it's not as good! **

Zoom ran out of the Hub, only to be hit with a wave of heat. He gasped. Several yards away from him was a wall of fire. Stella stood in front of it, arms raised, shaking. Suddenly, the fire died, and mounds of earth, several feet taller than Zoom, grew out of the desert. Stella seemed to hurl balls of fire at them. Once hit, the piles hardened, then shattered into a million pieces. Zoom stared in a mixture of awe and fear at the smoking ground where the heaps of earth had been seconds before. He was soon distracted, however, by the howl of wind. He looked up to find a large tornado, spinning across the Salt Flats. Stella shot a huge jet of water into it from her hands, and the tornado became more flat. Zoom couldn't believe his eyes as the tornado transformed into a hurricane, swirling madly. Suddenly, the hurricane dissipated. The air became still as Stella shakily collapsed on her knees, then buried her face in her hands. Zoom slowly approached her.

"Hey." He said softly, kneeling next to her. He gently pulled her hands down into her lap and tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ears. She looked up at him, her blue eyes reaching into his soul._ She's so pretty._ Zoom thought. _With that soft blonde hair and those big, blue eyes…Whoa, Zoom. You just met her!_ Zoom brought his mind back to the topic, or person, at hand.

"Can you really do all of that?" He asked. She nodded shyly. "Wow." He said simply. She gave a small grin.

"Learning to control myself was the hardest part," She began, Zoom listening intently. "Suddenly I had these amazing abilities, and no idea how to use them. Fire is my most uncontrollable gift."

"Yeah, I get that." Zoom agreed, when suddenly she whirled around and stared him square in the face, blue eyes burning into brown ones.

"No. I'm sorry Zoom, but you don't. And I hope you never have to. My powers are linked to my emotions. When someone makes me mad, I just get this uncontrollable rage to burn and destroy things! It took every ounce of humanity I had not to burn Tezz into a crisp. Honestly, sometimes…I scare myself." She looked wistfully off into the desert, her mind clearly traveling far from her body. Zoom tried to find the right words to say.

"I'm so sorry."

"What?" She said, as if she hadn't heard him correctly.

"I said, I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that." His confidence grew as he spoke. "And if I could save you from your past, I swear to you I wouldn't stop trying. But for what it's worth, I think what you did, on Vandal and in your life…I think…" He trailed off, then decided to say it. "I think it's amazing. No, I think YOU'RE amazing." He looked away, unable to face those eyes after his confession.

"Zoom?" She said, voice barely above a whisper. He turned towards her to hear the question. It never came. She gently hooked her fingers together behind his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. Staring gently into his eyes, she brought his lips onto hers. Zoom couldn't believe what was happening as fireworks seemed to go off in his brain. He closed his eyes in bliss and kissed her back with all his heart. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. They sat, kissing, as the sun began to set across the Salt Flats.

Finally, he released his arms, even though he could have shared that kiss forever. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Zoom gently stroked her hair as they watched the sun set across the salt flats. Finally, Zoom spoke, breaking the peaceful silence.

"We should probably get back." He spoke gently. Stella didn't respond, and Zoom realized she was asleep. He smiled and picked up the girl, carrying her back to the Hub. Everyone was upstairs except for Sage.

"Is Stella alright?" The Sentient asked with concern.

"Yeah. She's just tired. Is there somewhere she can sleep?" Zoom responded.

"I will have to create a room for her. Meanwhile, please put her in Agura's room." Sage said, already mentally creating space for the extra room.

"Thanks Sage!" Zoom said, and walked to Agura's room. He knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Agura called. Zoom opened the door to find the young woman sitting at her desk reading. "Have fun with Stella?" She asked, not unkindly, but in a tone that made Zoom suspicious.

"Uhm, what do you mean?" He asked, feeling his cheeks grow warm. Agura smiled and stood up.

"Well, you weren't exactly far away from the garage, if you know what I mean." Zoom realized what she meant.

"Please don't tell the guys!" He begged. She looked shocked.

"No! I think it's really sweet of you to be so nice to her. I knew it was going to happen sooner or later." Zoom was shocked.

"What do you mean you knew?" He asked.

"It's a girl thing." She responded, and smirked. "Look, your secret is safe with me."

Zoom felt a wave of relief. "Thanks, Agura." She smiled.

"So, why do you have Stella?"

"Oh." Zoom remembered. "Is it okay if she crashes here for a while? Sage is making her a room."

"Sure." Agura said.

"Thanks! Hey, where are the guys?" Zoom asked, walking out.

"In the game room!" Agura called. _Just one more place we don't have in common, _the young woman thought. She didn't enjoy the violent games the guys liked to play, and usually just sat in her room until the decided to do something else. She knew they tried to include her, but sometimes she wished there was a girl on the team. Agura looked over at Stella, sleeping peacefully, and decided to take her shopping the next morning. Agura sighed and returned to her book.

Later, Sage came with a stretcher, and the two moved Stella into her new room, which was across the hall from Agura's.

….

Zoom walked into the game room to find everyone but Tezz.

"Hey Zoom how's Stella?" Spinner asked, looking up from the game but somehow managing to stay on the racetrack.

"Good. She's sleeping in Agura's room." Zoom responded.

"What was she doing when you got out there?" Sherman asked.

Zoom described for them what he had seen.

"Whoa." Spinner said, the game forgotten.

"That's so totally awesome!" AJ cried.

"Not for Tezz." Sherman said. Vert groaned.

"Ugh. Sometimes I just can't believe that guy!"

"You said it." Stanford agreed.

"Hey, it's getting pretty late guys." Sherman said.

"Yeah, I need my beauty sleep." Spinner joked, but got groans in response. One by one, the guys stood up and walked off towards their rooms.

"G'night Agura." Vert said, walking by her door.

"Night Vert. Night AJ!" Agura said, knocking on the wall next to her.

"See ya in the morning, Agura. Night Bros!" AJ yelled to the Cortez's.

"Night!" Spinner shouted back. Sherman covered his ears. "Good night, Zoom."

"Night, guys. Sweet dreams, your royal laziness!" Zoom joked, tapping the wall between him and Stanford. They heard muffled snoring from the red-head's room. Everyone laughed and settled into bed. This was always how they said goodnight, as if to remind themselves that no matter how hard the day had been, they were still there for each other.


	15. Chapter 15

Stanford stood indecisively in front of the cupboard in the kitchen. He randomly began pulling out boxes.

"Sherman's bran cereal for "brain power". Nope." The red-head put the box back. "Spinner's chocolate-covered Sugar O's with extra marshmallows. Hmm. Can't allow my royal teeth to become cavity-ified." The red-head pondered his breakfast selection. "Hmf. Maybe I'll just have Agura make pancakes."

"If by have, you mean ask nicely." Agura said, walking in. "And if by ask nicely, you mean get down on your knees and beg because I made pancakes last week! Ask someone else."

"Awwwww." He gave her a puppy dog face. She laughed, then threw a packet of oatmeal at him. Suddenly, Stella walked in, holding a bow and arrow.

"Where are the hunting areas around here?" She demanded. "Because I have been outside in that forsaken desert since sunrise, and I am NOT in the mood for snake soup!" Agura and Stanford looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Stella, sick of not understanding Earth, menacingly pointed the bow and arrow at them.

"I will advise you not to anger someone who tips her arrows with poison." She swept the drawn bow back and forth between them as if choosing her prey.

"Sorry!" Stanford immediately apologized.

"You see, the food is all in here." Agura gestured to the pantry. Stella scrutinized the assortment of boxes and jars. She picked up a peanut butter jar. "This is most definitely NOT edible."

"No, you have to open it." Agura pierced Stanford with a look colder than ice to prevent him from making a smart comment that could possibly end his life. Stella twisted open the jar and smelled it.

"Peanut butter! Yum!" She reached into the pantry and began pulling out each box. Stanford was about to say something as she started opening the boxes and sampling the contents of each, when their watches beeped.

"Stormshock in T-minus 11 minutes." Sage alerted them. Moans were heard from down the hall as Vert ran in to the kitchen. His eyes took in the scene, and he turned in confusion to Agura. Her eyes darted suggestively to Stella and then she motioned that she would tell him later. Vert smiled his thanks, then transitioned back into leader mode.

"You guys, suit up. Stella…" He looked over to find her with a hand n Sherman's bran cereal. "Ask AJ if you need some help and please, please try to avoid Tezz!" He begged. She simply went back to her sampling.

"You're the boss, Red."

"Red?" Vert asked.

"Look down." Agura sighed. Vert looked at his chest to find his red shocksuit.

"I'm not a morning person, k?" He defended himself.

"No kidding." She responded, and ran off to change.

…  
AJ walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He found Stella surrounded by various boxes.

"Morning!" She said brightly.

"Hey." He responded. "Whatcha doing?" She looked around, suddenly aware of the mess.

"Oh. Sorry. I was trying all these…well, most of them taste like food. I'm not so sure about those." She pointed to a small pile at the end of the table which included a bag of marshmallows, Spinner's sugar-saturated cereal, a box of fruit snacks and several pre-made cake and pancake mixes.

"No, those are still foods." AJ smiled at the innocent girl in front of him. "They're just…manufactured?" He scratched his head. "Anyway, what do you want for breakfast? I was going to make bacon, but that's probably not enough… I know pancakes go really well with bacon, but I always burn them."

"I LOVE making pancakes!" Stella exclaimed. "Where's the ingredients?" AJ reached towards her "Not-real-food" pile and handed her a box.

"Thanks, but I'm going to need more than…" She read the label on the box. "Pancake mix? What is that?" AJ showed her the label on the back describing how much water and mix to use.

"Wait, that actually works?" She asked, dubious.

"Yup." He replied, getting out the bowl and measuring cups. "You're gonna need to make a TON if everybody wants them." She gasped with excitement.

"It'll be just like making them a surprise breakfast! They'll love it!" She exclaimed with glee. AJ smiled at the enthusiasm, which nearly matched his own.

"DUDE! Awesome! Hurry, we can have it all ready by the time they get back!" He said, running toward the fridge for the bacon. Stella grabbed the pancake mix and started measuring.

…  
Spinner jumped out of the Buster. "I can't believe you missed the Key, Bro!" He cried in frustration. "Now I'm stuck with Zoom's chores for the week!"

"How is this MY fault? You hit that Sark with the mace and steered us off course! I was about to grab it!" Sherman protested.

"Guys, guys. Please." Zoom said, idly twirling the BattleKey. "Show some respect in front of DA MASTER! WOOT, WOOT! It's the bathrooms for you, Spin! SUCKAAAAA!"

"Alright, alright. I get it. Go Zoom. Woo." Spinner grumbled. Suddenly, his nose perked up.

"Hey do you guys smell-"

"PANCAKES!" Spinner yelled with glee, cutting Sherman off as he ran to the kitchen. (A/N: He was supposed to yell this way longer but the format wouldn't let me!)

Everyone stampeded after him. They dashed to the kitchen, only to run into Spinner, who had stopped short at the door.

"It's…beautiful." He said, looking at the table, set with cups, plates, napkins and silverware, with a steaming platter of pancakes in the middle.

"Take a seat and serve yourself but keep your mitts off the food." Stella joked, but her face said she meant it. Everyone sat down. Agura grabbed the platter of pancakes and put a few on her plate. Then she passed them to Vert, who did the same. After the platter got to Stanford, he subtly inched his hand towards the steaming pancakes. In a flash, Stella, who was pouring juice for everyone, smacked him with the spatula she was keeping in the pocket of her apron.

"No eating until the others are served! Who taught you your manners?"

"Clearly the Vandals didn't teach you yours." Stanford muttered.

"Oh, heck no. I was their cook, too. After a few tries, I just stopped cooking the food altogether!" She said. AJ came over with a tray of sausage and bacon.

"Who wants protein?" He asked.

"You see protein; I see a clogged artery waiting to happen." Stella dead-panned, earning chuckles. She relented and grabbed the smallest piece of bacon, but upon seeing AJ's longing face, fed it to him. After the food was served and drinks were poured, the chefs sat down.

"I could make a formal announcement about how this is to thank you guys for helping me, and how much it means to me, but I'm pretty sure y'all just wanna eat so DIG IN!" Stella joked, raising her glass as if toasting the food. Everyone cheered and began eating.

….  
"Uggghhhh…." Spinner moaned, a half-eaten pancake on the table in front of him. He lifted his fork half-heartedly towards the steaming food, then dropped it. "These pancakes MOCK ME!"

"I warned you not to eat too fast bro!" Sherman lectured, already on his fifth plate.

"I don't think HE'S the one eating too fast." Agura joked, gesturing toward Sherman and AJ, who were head-to-head in an eating contest. Neither had accepted defeat yet, and both were still going strong.

"I SHALL BEAT YOU IN SHAMEFUL DEFEAT!" AJ said, lifting another forkful of pancakes to his mouth.

"No way! I've got a week of free chores riding on this bet!" Sherman said with a mouthful of sausage.

"Ew! Sherman, please!" Agura said, shielding her eyes.

"Orry." He mumbled sheepishly, opening his mouth as little as possible.

"Seriously, great pancakes Stella." Vert commented, his plate cleaned.

"Thanks, but let's not forget our chef of all things cholesterol-soaked!" She joked, gesturing to AJ, who waved his hand in acknowledgement.

"Alright guys, ready for some training?" Vert asked. Everyone groaned in response.

"Aw, come on, ya jelly-beans!" Agura, who sensibly hadn't stuffed herself, joked.

"UGGGHHHHHHHH…." Everyone groaned, and slowly got up.

"Suit up and meet in the garage in five minutes. Got it?" Vert commanded. Everyone sluggishly nodded. Stella walked over to the sink and began hand-washing the dishes. As the others filed out, Sherman walked up to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Skydiving." She sarcastically replied., "Just kidding. I'm washing these dishes. No offense, but for a smart guy, you're kinda slow."

"Well, you don't have to wash those. We have a dishwasher for that." He opened the dishwasher to show her. "All you have to do is load it and hit start." She seemed dubious, but began loading the dishes.

"Hey, wanna come down and watch us? I mean, if you don't have anything better to do." He offered.

"I dunno, Sherman, I live a pretty fascinating life." She smiled to show she was kidding. "I'd love to come."

"Great. See you there?" He asked.

"Yup."


	16. Chapter 16

Tezz peered around the doorframe. He was waiting for everyone to leave before he grabbed his breakfast. The coast seemed clear, so he walked in.

Stella POV:  
I couldn't believe that this dishwasher invention would actually work, but I did want to finish and watch the team train. I was just putting in the last dishes when _he_ walked in. I remembered the leader's plea to be nice, so I settled for civil.

"Good morning Tezz." I squeaked out with not even a hint of malice. I really do surprise myself sometimes. He jumped a little.

"What? Oh." His face clenched when he saw me. "Hello." He did his best, but I found his annoyance obvious.

"There's pancakes in the fridge if you want some." I offered.

"Thanks, but I'll just have a banana." He replied.

"Alright. See ya on the test track." I said nonchalantly, and left. Once in the hall, I leaned against the wall and gasped for air. Just the sight of him made my blood boil. I pulled my necklace out from under my shirt, and checked the spheres. They were calmer then last time, but the fire sphere was blazing. Just watching it made my frustration grow. _Chill out, Stel. Breathe in, breathe out._ I thought. I randomly formed ice crystals, raindrops, anything to take my mind off the fire in the air. Minutes later, I felt fine, and walked out to the track.

Test Track, Normal POV:  
Zoom stumbled out of the garage holding a lawn chair and dropped it on the ground

"Thanks, Zoom!" Stanford said, and tried to sit down. Zoom pulled the chair out from under him at the last second, causing him to fall.

"Uhm, OUCH!" The Brit exclaimed, only to meet laughter. "Oh, haha." He muttered sarcastically.

"It's not for you! It's for Stella." Zoom said, picking up the chair again and bringing it closer to the track. "She might come watch."

"Oh." Stanford said. Agura smiled as Zoom walked by.

"Such a gentleman!" She said so only he could hear. He gave her a glare, but the effect was dimmed by his blush.

"Alright, we're doing vehicle combinations today." Vert announced. "Tangler, Buster, you're up." He pushed a button on his remote and several large obstacles and Sark cars appeared (for training purposes; they didn't invade). He was about to open the fusion vortex when Stella walked out from the garage, yawning.

"Why so tired?" Spinner asked.

"I didn't sleep too well last night. I guess I'm just not accustomed to beds yet." She replied, then saw the chair.

"You can sit there! You know, if you want." Zoom offered shyly.

"Oh, did you bring this? Thank you!" She responded sweetly, and sat.

"You didn't have to come. You can go back to bed if you're tired." Vert offered.

"Nah, I think I'll just take a nap later." She said, stretching.

"Alright. Buster? Tangler?" Vert asked again, ready to begin. Agura, however, had other ideas. She knew that Zoom would want to show off in front of Stella, and that if he didn't go now the exhausted girl would probably be asleep.

"Uh, Vert?" She asked, projecting as much innocence as she could.

"What's up Agura?"

"The Tangler's acting up. Why don't you and Zoom go?" While talking, she gave him their private hand signal telling him to go to Channel 4. He switched his com channel.

"Yeah?" She heard his voice from her speakers. Agura didn't want to betray Zoom's secret, but she knew she could trust Vert. He was like a brother to Zoom.

"Zoom likes Stella." She heard him mutter in shock from the Saber, but kept talking. "I want her to see him drive before he falls asleep." Vert was surprised. Agura typically took every opportunity to train. _It's sweet of her care about them_ he thought.

"Alright." He responded, then switched his com back. "Change of plans, guys. Zoom, it's Skyknife time."

"Awesome!" He heard Zoom's cheer. Agura smiled, her mission a success. _Time for phase two_ the matchmaker thought. She walked over to Stella and gently shook her shoulders. "Zoom's going now. You should watch." Stella yawned and forced her eyes open just as the Skyknife emerged from the portal. Now fully awake, Stella's eyes widened. The Skyknife practically flew around the track, sawing through the Sark cars.

"Hey Vert? Ready to go airborne?" Zoom asked, already starting.

"Hold on, Zoom, that stone column is too close! Pull up now, and we'll hit it!" Vert exclaimed, referring to an obstacle in front of them, but it was too late. Zoom's enthusiasm and desire to show off had led him to pull the Skyknife up into a nearly vertical ascent. Both teens felt the pressure as the stone loomed in front of them.

"ZOOM!" Stella yelled. She jumped up and tried to move the stone, but unfortunately it was made for training, and wasn't real stone. She watched, powerless, as the bottom of the Skyknife scraped the top of the rock.

"VERT! ZOOM!" Everyone yelled for their teammates as they jumped in their cars and ran over to the smoking wreck. Stella simply jumped into the air and flew over, faster than any of them. She arrived at the wreck and realized they had landed upside down, trapping the boys. The other cars showed up, and AJ jumped out.

"How'd you get here so fast? AH CRAP!" He yelled, Stella forgotten as he surveyed the wreckage. "How are we gonna get them out?" Stella already had an answer. Slowly and carefully, the Skyknife seemed to lift up off the ground and rotate so it was on its side. She set the car back down at an angle, and they all examined the inside. Zoom and Vert had been knocked unconscious. Agura assessed the situation, and took control.

"Stella, nice work. AJ, Sherman, see if you can open the hood and get Vert out of there. Me, Spin and Stanford will work on Zoom's cockpit." The Huntress commanded, and everyone followed her orders. Soon, the teens were freed.

"Are they injured?" Sherman asked. Agura looked them over.

"I don't know. We need to get them to Sage though, and we can't move them if we don't know what injuries they may have." She responded, thinking.

"I'll move them." Stella said.

"How?" Stanford asked. Suddenly he was floating a foot off the ground. "Oh. Okay, I get it. You can put me down now! Please!" The redhead panicked. Stella giggled, and he dropped back down. "Oof." Vert and Zoom's bodies then began floating towards the garage.

Hub's Infirmary, Normal POV:  
Stella stood next to Agura by Vert and Zoom's bodies, awaiting Sage's verdict.

"Are they going to be alright, Agura?" Stella whispered. Agura looked down into her watering blue eyes, knowing she had to be strong for the girl.

"Vert and Zoom?" Agura laughed. "Trust me, they've done worse. They'll be fine in no time!" She said, radiating confidence. Stella seemed satisfied, and leaned a little closer to her.

The Sentient finished her scan.

"They are simply unconscious. They fortunately avoided being injured and should recover in a few hours." The girls sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness!" Stella said. "So, should we just wait?" Agura looked over the girl wearing an animal skin dress.

"No, we should go shopping!" She said. "But you are going to have to wear some normal-ish clothes of we're going out in public…"

"Don't worry! I have some!" Stella said, leading Agura to her room. Sitting on the dresser was a white T-shirt and a pair of green shorts.

"Where'd you get these?" Agra asked, staring at the shorts. The material seemed very familiar.

"Well, I couldn't sleep last night, so I made these!" Stella gestured to the garments.

"Well, yeah, but with what?" Agura asked.

"Oh." Stella laughed nervously. "The shirt is from the sheets you gave me and the shorts are from….the hand towel." She muttered. Agura now remembered donating a set of her bathroom towels to the room.

"Oh. Wow. You really made those?" She asked, more surprised that a hand towel gave enough fabric for her shorts than she was at Stella making clothes. "Well, those will work. Try them on."

Stella modeled the clothes for Agura. They fit perfectly, and looked normal enough for them to go into a store.

"Alright. Let's go!" She said.

At the Store, Normal POV:  
"Wow! Look at all these clothes!" Stella exclaimed, gazing in wonder around the department store.

"Mhm." Agura muttered, looking for the petite section. "This way!" She grabbed Stella wrist and dragged her away from a perfume display. "Just look around and tell me if you see anything you like, alright?" Agura browsed through the racks of jeans while Stella examined a display of floral blouses and tank tops. Awhile later, she had her arms full of shirts.

"Look at all these! Aren't they pretty?" She exclaimed. Agura laughed and took the bundle from her. She picked out one of each shirt in the smallest size available, then grabbed her pile of jeans. "We have to try them on first." She lead her toward the dressing rooms.

Back at the Hub (to spare you from all the shopping):  
Stella stepped out of the Reverb. "That car REALLY stinks!" She gasped for air.

"Ugh I know! Maybe Stanford will clean it if you ask him in your new clothes." Agura smiled, gesturing towards Stella's shopping bag. "Go try them on!" Stella bounced off to her room, happy with her new clothes. Agura had bought her a pair of low-rise jeans, saying they looked great on her. Stella had let her do most of the talking and deciding. Her shirt, though, she had picked herself. A pink half-sleeve shirt with flowy sleeves and a floral print, Stella was absolutely in love with it, and Agura agreed it showed off her tiny figure. Agura knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" She asked. Stella opened the door.

"Want me to do your hair?" Agura asked.

"Sure!" Stella said. They went to the bathroom and Agura started to brush through her hair. They both sat contentedly when Stella spoke.

"Agura?"

"Mmm?" She murmured.

"You know how Spinner and Sherman are brothers?" Agura was surprised by her question. She wondered where this conversation was going.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, even though Spinner is really annoying, Sherman still loves him and watches out for him." Stella's voice began to tremble. "And I just thought…I'm never going to have any of that. I don't know any family, and I don't even know if I want to. What if-what if they left me on Vandal for a reason? What if they're horrible people? And if I ever find them…what if they don't want me back?" Her eyes were full of tears as she revealed her deepest fears to Agura, whose motherly aura made her feel free to share every insecurity. Agura's strong mocha eyes met her teary blue ones in the mirror.

"Stella," The mother of the team began. "I can't imagine ANYONE who wouldn't want to be your family. And if you find them, let me know and I'll kick them into next Tuesday. I'm sure whoever it is that lost you to the Vandals wants you back with all their heart. I know it seems tough now, but you do have a family."

"You really think so?" Stella asked hopefully.

"I know so."

"Agura?"

"Yeah?" Agura responded, stroking her hair comfortingly.

"Will you be my sister?"


	17. Chapter 17

Agura's hand froze mid-stroke. Stella immediately began apologizing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even…I mean, you're just so caring and-and I mean not like related family but like…I really shouldn't have asked that I just-" Agura put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Stella. I would love to." Stella's face lit up and practically glowed.

"Really! You would? Thank you!" She jumped up and hugged the Huntress. Agura suddenly felt warm, but in the best way possible. As Stella pulled away, she re-examined her face.

"Wait, are you actually glowing?" Stella clapped her hands to her cheeks.

"Oops! That hasn't happen in forever!"

"When does it usually happen?" Agura asked curiously.

"When I'm really happy…" Stella grinned shyly, then dimmed her glow. Agura smiled at her new "sisters" cuteness.

"Well, ready to show the guys the "New You"?" She asked. Stella instantly became pale.

"Oh, I don't know, is this shirt too low? Maybe I should just wear my old dress…My hair looks frizzy, maybe I'll just put it in a ponytail." She reached toward the counter, but Agura grabbed her hand and stopped it.

"Have some confidence girl! The shirt is fine, your old dress doesn't look nearly as cute, and your new haircut is fantastic! Let's see if we can get you a necklace…" Agura walked out to her room and returned moments later holding a silver necklace with a flower charm.

"It's so pretty!" Stella gasped as Agura fastened it for her. "Are you sure I can borrow it?"

"Relax! It's what sisters do." Agura smiled and stepped back for the full effect.

"Wow." Agura breathed. "You look amazing!"

"Awww!" Stella blushed. "Thank you!"

"Now, let's go show the guys!" Agura said, pulling her towards the game room. Stella's flip-flop covered feet dug into the floor of the Hub.

"Do we have to?" She begged.

'They're going to find out sooner or later. You might as well present!" Agura encouraged. "Come on, you look fantastic!"

"Alright." Stella gave in.

The guys were all watching Spinner and Stanford. Stanford was madly pressing buttons, while Spinner idly tapped his controller.

"AUGH! How do you do that?" Stanford demanded when he lost (again).

"My mad ninja skeelz!" Spinner said. "Who's next?" Just then, the girls walked in.

"Hey guys." Agura said, taking a spot on the couch. "What'd Spinner beat you at this time Stanford?"

"Slugbots of GoopWor…" Stanford trailed off when Stella sat down next to him. "Who's your friend?" She smacked him.

"Stanford! It's me!" Stella tossed her head back and laughed, growing into her new, pretty look.

"Hmm. Amazing what soap can do." She smacked him again.

"So, whatcha guys doing?" Stella's eyes then found the TV. "What is that?" Spinner turned to her. His mouth dropped open.

"I see why you're a blonde…" Stanford muttered. Stella didn't understand the joke, but Agura reached over a flicked the back of his head.

"It's a TV! Only one of God's greatest gifts!" Spinner exclaimed.

"It's just a box…" Stella pointed out, looking at the powered off TV.

"Oh, tis much more than a box, my friend." Spinner turned the TV on to SpongeBob. "This beautiful creation allows you to watch over comedy, cartoons, fantasy, reality TV, anytime you want, with the simple push of a button!" He flipped through several channels with the remote to make his point. "Over 500 channels! Get yours today!" She gave her a smile and a wink as everyone laughed at his sales pitch. Finally, Stella spoke.

"What's it do?"

"What's it do? WHAT'S IT DO? Only lets you watch TV all the time! Constant entertainment!" Spinner said.

"Seems like a waste of time." She said boredly.

"Alright, but what about video games?" Spinner handed her a controller and turned on Slugbots of GoopWorld 5. "Here, this button lets you kick the Slugbots, and this one…" He explained each button. "Now, all you have to do is kill all the Slugbots and get the Power-Up at the end of the level. She took the controller awkwardly in one hand, and used her pointer finger to stab the buttons. The others stifled their laughter as Spinner groaned and took the controller. He re-positioned it, showed her how to press the buttons with her thumbs, and played the game. Stella started pressing random buttons, and succeeded in kicking one of the Slugbots.

"There ya go!" Spinner cheered, thinking she knew what she was doing. Then, she accidentally paused the game, re-started the level, and started walking her character all around.

"I don't get it!" She complained.

"No kidding." Spinner huffed. "Alright, we're gonna try one more time." The team laughed at the Cortez's growing frustration.

"Okay, now kick him, no I said KICK-wait what are you doing? The Slugbots are over there! Yep, that way..no no no no! Don't use the grenade! UGH!" The banter continued as he tried to teach her.

"GAH! THAT'S IT!" He stood up. "I can't do this anymore!" He ran out of the room, leaving Stella holding the controller, and everyone cracking up.

"What'd I do?" She asked innocently. Agura wiped away a tear of laughter.

"Nothing…Hey, wanna go check on Vert and Zoom?" She asked. Stella instantly stood up, game forgotten.

"Yes! Let's go!" The two girls ran off.

…

"Hey..." Agura said quietly as she entered. Vert looked up.

"Hey." He smiled tiredly. Stella walked in and his eyes grew wide with surprise. "You look…nice."

"Thanks!" She grinned at him.

"You do that?" He whispered to Agura. She nodded. "Nice."

Stella walked over to Zoom's bed.

"Ca-Can I wake him up?" She asked gently.

"I think he'd like that." Agura said. She couldn't wait to see the look on Zoom's face. Stella gently shook his shoulders.

"Zoom…" She whispered. "Zoom?" He lazily opened his eyes.

"Stella?" Suddenly, they shot open. "Stella!" He took in her outfit. "You look…different." Agura hid a snicker.

"Different in a good way?" She panicked. He laughed.

"Yeah. I like it." He daringly pulled her close and kissed her on the nose, not caring that Vert and Agura saw him. Stella's smiled down at him. He was about to pull her in for another kiss when she lightly smacked him.

"Ow!" He exclaimed. "What was that for?"

"Showboating and scaring the living crap out of me!" She said, looking down at him sternly.

"Hehe…Sorry…" He said. She leaned in and kissed his forehead. "THAT was for surviving. Now you get some rest." She smiled at him and walked out.

"Wow. Go Zoom." Vert said. The Scout blushed.

"Ah, shut up…"

"She's right though, Zoom." Agura stood up, becoming serious. "We've had this talk about showing off before. Not only did you put yourself in danger, you put Vert in danger! And who knows how many repairs you'll need!" She lectured him as her frustration grew.

"Agura, I think he gets it." Vert stopped her. "I'll take it from here." Agura sighed.

"Alright. Hey, are you guys getting hungry? I was thinking we should bring Stella to Zeke's."

"Sounds good." Vert said. She left. "Zoom,"

"I know Vert." Zoom stopped him. "I can be a little showy. Sorry I got us hurt. But please, no more lecture!"

"Lecture? I think Agura got that covered." They both smiled at the thought of the "mom" of the team. "I wanted to ask you about Stella. You like her?" The blonde smiled knowingly.

"Well…yeah. I mean, she's so cute and sweet and innocent about all this Earth stuff! And she's funny, and those big blue eyes…" He trailed off.

"You really like her, huh?" Vert asked.

"How can I not?"

"I know how you feel." Vert said.

"What do you mean?" Zoom asked.

"Well, just like with the girl stuff." Zoom was curious now.

"What girl?" He pressed. Vert mumbled something in response. "What?"

"Agura." Zoom was surprised. He had never really thought about it, but now that he did it all fit together. Vert was their leader, the "dad" of Battle Force 5. Agura was of course the mom, and…well, that made them a couple, didn't it?

"And why do you feel that way, Vert? Zoom asked, propping his arm up and placing his chin in his hand, imitating a therapist. Vert laughed.

"I dunno. You don't really choose who you love, ya know? And she's so caring about all of us, and…"

"What?" Zoom asked, his curiosity peaking.

"She's kinda sexy." Vert mumbled. Zoom stopped himself from laughing out loud. His leader, smitten like a first grader with his second-in-command! Even Zoom had to admit it was a movie-worthy romance.

"I think you have a good shot." He said honestly.

"You think?" Vert asked.

"Dude, you could get anyone!" Zoom reassured his friend.

"Thanks, man." Vert said.

"Uh, Vert?"

"Yeah Zoom?"

"Do you think I have a good shot with Stella?" Vert laughed at the question.

"You kidding? It's practically Facebook-official!" Zoom laughed, contented with the answer.

…

Agura had rounded up the guys to go to Zeke's. Stella, upon complete refusal to spend another second in the Reverb, was riding with AJ, who had "plenty of room." Unfortunately, he also had plenty of daredevil attitude, and was showing off by driving a bit too crazily for Stella's liking.

"See how well my GearSlammer takes corners?" He exclaimed, spinning the vehicle in a 360.

"Imma have to show you how well it takes corners if you don't slow this oversized snowplow down!" She threatened nervously.

"Aw, come on, where's your sense of adventure?" He shouted, spinning the car again.

"It fell out about three miles back!" She yelled. AJ whipped around one last time. "Alright, you asked for it!" Stella shouted. The GearSlammer came to a complete halt and started driving smoothly forward next to the Reverb.

"What the?" AJ said, madly turning controls. Stella simply grinned, waving her arms in the air. The team laughed as they realized that she was levitating the GearSlammer a few feet above the ground and simply floating it, leaving AJ without control.

"Awww…" He pouted.

"I warned you ya crazy Canadian!" She joked, and calmly "drove" the GearSlammer towards Zeke's.

"Hey! How do you know about Canada?" He asked, scratching his head.

"I heard Stanford call you that earlier when you wanted to parachute off the roof of the garage." She responded innocently. Stanford groaned as AJ looked at him indignantly.

"Dude! It's fun!" The adventure-loving teen exclaimed.

"Actually, at that height, your parachute wouldn't open in time, making it not so fun." Sherman pointed out.

"But it's the tallest thing out here for miles!" AJ whined.

"That garage? Please. I could get you way higher." Stella scoffed. "Really, parachuting without asking someone who can control the wind." AJ looked at her in awe.

"You'd do that?" He asked.

"Don't insult me." She cockily grinned. "Say, where are we going?"

"To get some za!" Spinner exclaimed.

"Za?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yeah! You know, piz-za?" Spinner tried. He sighed at the blank look on her face. "Just…we'll show you. It's food, k?"

"Oh, no thanks, I already ate." Sherman practically stopped the Buster in shock.

"Maybe eight or nine hours ago, on Vandal. But it's dinnertime!" Spinner cheered at his statement.

"Wait, you eat more than once here?" Stella asked. AJ looked at her blankly.

"We eat three times. And that's not including snacks." He smiled.

"How could anyone need that much food?" She asked. AJ looked offended. Agura finally realized the problem.

"The Vandals only fed you once a day, didn't they?" Stella nodded as AJ pretended to die from shock. "Okay, well here, we eat three meals."

"And SNACKS!" Sherman cried.

"Okay, FOUR TO FIVE meals if you're Sherman or AJ." Agura updated, leading Sherman to nudging her with the Buster. "Got it, Stella?"

"Sure, but I'm not hungry." She replied.

AJ gasped.

"N-no-not-NOT HUNGRY! You didn't eat since breakfast!" He cried in shock.

"I know. The Vandals didn't feed me very well, when they remembered." She sighed. "At first I was starving, but I think my stomach shrunk or something. I only need like a fourth of the food I used to." She looked down at her thin, flat torso.

"It's plausible." Sherman mused.

"No, it's heart-wrenching!" Spinner cried. "We've gotta get this girl some za! GO GO GO GO GO!" Everyone laughed at Spinner's urgency and drove a bit faster towards Zeke's.

Grace smiled at the older Cortez as he came barreling into the diner.

"You want the usual, Spinner?" She asked. She had memorized their order after a while, for the group was always together and always ordered the same thing.

"Yeah, but hold the Hawaiian." He panted. "Zoom's not here." He thought he saw a flash of disappointment on her face, but he thought he must have imagined it. Everyone else filed into the diner.

"What's that smell?" Stella asked, crinkling her nose as the scent of freshly baked pizza drifted through the air.

"That, my dear Stella, is the delicious aroma of hot, cooked-to-order, just for you, never-smelled-anything-like-it…." Spinner took a dramatic pause, then gasped. "ZA!"

"Yum! Ugh, now it's making me hungry! Stop it!" She smacked her non-existent stomach, making everyone laugh. "It's not funny! It took years to shrink my stomach! What if I get stuck there again! I'll starve!" The snickers stopped when they realized she was serious.

"Stella, I don't think you'll EVER be in that situation again." Agura said. "Hey look, here's the pizza!" Grace set down four pizzas: one cheese, one pepperoni, one sausage-bacon-pepperoni, one jalapeno pepper, and one veggie. Steam wafted off the pies as Spinner stared hungrily. Stella looked at the pizza in awe, smelling the aroma. She looked like Spinner every time he saw the Slugbots of GoopWorld 6 commercial. Grace noticed the new addition to their crew.

"Who's this?" She smiled at Stella.

"I'm Stella." She returned the grin, reaching over to shake Grace's hand. "Nice to meet you." Grace shook back, then left to wait on another table.

"Is she a slave too?" Stella whispered to Agura, who nearly spit out her drink.

"No, she's an EMPLOYEE. She gets paid to work here." Stella's mouth dropped open and she crossed her arms.

"Not fair." Agura smiled.

"Want some pizza?" She asked. Stella shrugged.

"Sure." She reached for a piece of cheese and put it on her plate, then grabbed a fork and knife and started cutting the tip off.

"Oh heck no!" Spinner said, grabbing the silverware. "Pizza is a FINGER-FOOD. Got it?" She glared at him, and the fork flew out of his hand and poked him in the chest. She smiled at his bemused expression and proceeded to pick up the slice and cautiously nibbled the end. Her face lit up and her eyes brightened, but at a subtle nudge from Agura the glow dimmed.

"Yum!" She exclaimed, and continued to daintily eat her newly discovered favorite food. Spinner sighed. _You can take the silverware away from the girl, but you can't take away the girl's manners_ he thought._ Wait, that's not it…eh. Whatever._ The Cortez returned to his pizza-gobbling.

….

"That…was delicious." AJ said, leaning back. On the table were a few slices of leftover pizza.

"When we take these back to the garage, I have dibs on the jalapeno!" Spinner said.

"I thought you were stuffed?" Sherman asked.

"I am NOW, but by the time we get back who knows?" Spinner said.

"Shouldn't we take them back for Zoom and Vert?" Stella asked considerately. Spinner sighed.

"Okay, if you want to be all charitable and stuff." She smiled angelically at him, when Grace set the bill down on the table. Everyone avoided their teammate's eyes and twiddled their thumbs when finally, Sherman spoke up.

"Alright guys, who's paying?"

"I think….Stanford should!" Spinner announced, running out of the diner.

"What? NO! I paid…" Stanford trailed off, not helping his case. "I paid…uhm…"

"Three weeks ago." Agura reminded him. "And we've gone out seven times since then, making today your turn!" She slid the bill towards him.

"Oh alright." The Brit grumbled, pulling out a wallet. Everyone got up and started walking out of the diner as Grace came back to pick up the bill.

"Grace, did I ever tell you that, as royalty, I was once given the chance to re-arrange the alphabet?" He began. Grace rolled her eyes at Agura, who gave her a sympathetic grin. "Well," Stanford continued. "Did I mention that I put "U" and "I" together?" He smiled at her, raising his eyebrows suggestively, when Stella interrupted.

"WHAT was _that_?" She asked disgustedly, causing everyone, especially Grace and Agura, to laugh.

"STELLA! It's how you ask girls on a date! It's known as a pickup line!" He cried, blushing brightly.

"No, I believe it's known as a misuse of the dictionary, and is most definitely _not_ the way to get ask girls out on a date." She responded, to more laughter, this time from the surrounding tables. "Now, why don't we go home, forget this train wreck, have an important talk about dignity and…" She looked at Grace, "Forget this all ever happened?" Grace laughed out loud.

"I like you, hon." She smiled, then looked at Stanford. "Ah, I'll see you later…" He sighed, then gave Stella a glare that could melt ice. "Ta-ta." He said dryly, then stomped out. Agura grinned at Grace, then grabbed Stella and followed him. Once outside, Stanford lectured Stella.

"What was that for? You blew my chance! No I have to wait the standard three months before using that pickup line again!" He said angrily.

"First, you had no chance to begin with. Second, I did you a favor with the pickup line thing. Third, you really need to work on your girl-getting abilities. Or lack of whatsoever." She spun sassily on her heel and walked towards the GearSlammer, leaving Stanford to think about what someone should have told him a long time ago. Agura stifled a laugh with her palm as she walked by him.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies!" Spinner joked, hopping into the Buster.

"Oh, ha ha." Stanford commented, then jumped in the Reverb and drove off.

…..

"We're back!" Spinner shouted as he jumped out of the Buster. He grabbed the pizza box and brought it up to the infirmary, only to find it empty. _Huh. I guess they're better_ he thought, and immediately went to the game room, where he found Vert and Zoom. "I guess you guys are feeling better." He set the pizza down. "We brought you pizza!" The game was abandoned as the two immediately did justice to their dinner.

"Stella like the pizza?" Zoom asked, mouth full.

"Yeah, but she's like, anorexic or something. She barely finished one piece." Spinner commented, picking up the game controller. Just then, Sherman walked in.

"Spinner!" He lectured. "She just isn't accustomed to eating a lot. I sent her to Sage for a physical."

"Mhm. Great." The Cortez muttered halfheartedly, already absorbed in his game.

"What's Sage gonna do? Will she be okay?" Zoom asked worriedly. Sherman laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Zoom! It's just a checkup." Sherman reassured the scout.

"Sorry. You're probably right." Zoom agreed.

…..

"Is this going to hurt?" Stella asked.

"No. There is nothing to fear." Sage reassured her. "Now, if you will please lie down, I will take a scan of your internal organs to determine your health." Stella gingerly laid on the examining table, coiled more tightly than a spring. Sage pushed a button on her keyboard and a large device began moving over Stella's body. She shut her eyes fearfully as it passed over her several times, then stopped. She sighed in relief.

"Now, I will check the results." Sage spoke, looking at the screen. "Hmm. Step on this scale please." Sage measured her height and weight, then ran a few more tests. "Finally, I need a blood sample. This will not hurt any more than a shot." She put the needle in Stella's upper arm. She didn't even flinch as Sage drew the blood. "Now, wait momentarily as I compile the results…" Stella sat obediently, idly dangling her legs off the doctor's bench. "I have the results." The Sentient announced.

"Physically, you are healthy. Unfortunately, due to your diet on Vandal, you are underweight and malnourished, and smaller than the average 16-year-old. I have prescribed a set of vitamins to help you grow and regain your health. Also, you are missing several key vaccinations, which I will have to administer." Stella didn't find this too terrible. Sage gave her a number of shots, then handed her a jar vitamins, which she hesitantly took. "Can you get Vert in here?" She asked, looking at the assortment of pills. She had never seen anything like them.

"Yes. Why?" The Sentient asked. She called Vert over his com-link, and the leader appeared.

"Try these." Stella held the jar of pills out to him.

"Uh, Sage?" Vert asked, looking for an explanation.

"I'm not eating anything that doesn't occur in nature until I'm sure you aren't poisoning me." She said defiantly. "I hate to sound distrustful, especially after how kind you've been, but it's how I grew up." Vert shrugged and, after inspecting the label, took out a pill and swallowed it.

"Feel an overwhelming sense of death?" Stella asked jokingly. Vert smiled and replied "No."

"Great! Thanks Red!" She opened the jar, swallowed a pill, and skipped out. Vert and Sage looked at each other and shook their heads.

…..

"G'night Agura." Vert said, tapping on her wall.

"Good night, Vert. Glad you and Zoom are okay. Night AJ." Agura said from next door.

"Night Agura!" He replied. "Night Spinner! Night Sherm! See you guys at training tomorrow!" He yelled.

"Night!" They responded. "Night Zoom." Sherman said, before Spinner could yell it from the bunk above him.

"Night Sherman. Thanks for not shouting!" Zoom replied. "Night, Stanford. Hey, maybe you can dream about kissing Grace, because that's the only place it's gonna happen!" Everyone laughed at Stanford, who pretended he was asleep. "Hey, anyone know where Stella is?" He asked his teammates. They were scattered no's, and Agura responded that her room was across from hers, but that she hadn't seen her since dinner. Zoom, dissatisfied, got up and walked across to her room. She knocked softly on the door, and peeked inside, but found it empty. He walked down to the Hub and found Sage.

"Hey Sage, you seen Stella?" He asked. She turned in surprise.

"Yes. She asked my permission to sleep outside." Sage responded.

"What? Why?" Zoom asked incredulously.

""I believe she said that she did not feel comfortable in the bed we provided." Sage replied. Zoom ran to his room and grabbed the blanket off his bed. Then he walked out of the garage, but didn't see Stella anywhere.

"Stella?" He called.

"Up here!" He heard her distant voice. Suddenly, he was floating skyward. Zoom watched the ground get smaller, then landed on the roof of the garage. He found Stella lying on her back, gazing up at the stars.

"Hey. Why are you out here?" He asked, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. She snuggled into it, then seeing him, shivering slightly in the cool night air, pulled him into it with her.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked, gazing skyward. Zoom looked up to see the stars twinkling. He spotted a few constellations he was familiar with. "See that one?" He pointed at the Big Dipper. "It's called the Big Dipper. The tip of it points straight to the North Star." He traced his finger over to the bright star. "And over here… is it's twin, the Little Dipper." Stella watched, fascinated, as Zoom pointed out other constellations such as Orion's Belt, Cassiopeia, and The Gemini.

"They're….beautiful." She whispered. Zoom yawned, and she rested her head on his shoulder. They both fell into peaceful sleep, baring their love to the universe.


	18. Chapter 18

**For the record, Zoom and Stella DID NOT have sex. They just fell asleep and ended up cuddling.**

Zoom's eyes slowly opened as the sun rose above the Salt Flats. He blinked, finding himself staring at the back of Stella's head. Zoom realized that they were lying on their sides, next to each other, and that he had his arm around her! Zoom blushed a deep red and hastily lifted his arm off her torso. She responded by unconsciously snuggling a little more into him. Zoom was pleasantly surprised. _Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em._ He thought, welcoming her into him and putting his arm back. He dozed against her warm body in the morning sunlight. About an hour later, he felt her waking up. Zoom tousled her soft blonde hair.

"Morning." He spoke gently. She gasped and whirled around, coiled as a spring and ready to pounce. Her eyes widened at the sight of the sleepy Zoom, staring at her.

"Sorry. It's sort of a reflex." She said, standing up and stretching.

"Oh. It's okay." He understood, but missed the warmth of her body next to his. He stood. "Wanna go get breakfast?"

"Sure." She responded, and they were floating again, down to the desert.

"That is _so_ cool, Stella!" Zoom exclaimed, exhilarated.

"That's nothing." She smirked, and jumped into the air, performing twists, turns, loop-the-loops and near-vertical plummets, only to pull up inches off the ground. She landed noiselessly in front of him, hands on her hips in pride. His mouth dropped open, and she laughed as she pulled him into the garage.

Once in the kitchen, Stella opened up the fridge, examining her choices. "I think I want…eggs. You want to split an omelet, Zoom?" Zoom knew that, unlike Stella, he needed more than a half an omelet, but shared anyway.

"Sure." He responded, pouring a bowl of Cheerios. Then, Stanford walked in.

"What's on the menu today, Stella?' He asked, sitting at the table.

"Apparently laziness, with a side of _royal_ pain." She responded, nudging him. Zoom laughed, raising his fist for a knuckle-touch, which she took.

"_Zoom and I _are splitting an omelet. You're welcome to make one." She said, stirring the egg yolks. Stanford sighed as she pulled out a cutting board and began chopping vegetables.

"I'll just have toast then. Cold, lonely, burnt toast. One solitary slice. That's it for me." Stanford pouted, plodding over to the toaster.

"Enjoy!" Stella gave him a winning smile, then resumed to her masterpiece. Sherman and Spinner walked into the kitchen next. "Morning, boys!" Stella said cheerfully. The half-awake brothers waved in acknowledgement.

"Someone's got energy." Spinner commented.

"Isn't it great? I slept outside last night. I'm staring to think I get my energy from nature." She commented, pouring the eggs onto a skillet.

"Yeah, awesome." Spinner yawned as Stanford's toast popped up. Stella jumped three feet into the air and screamed. Stanford glanced at her in annoyance.

"What's the problem, love? It's just toast!" He pulled the bread slowly out of the toaster to show her. She giggled nervously.

"Oh. Nice toast."

He sighed and grabbed the jam, when Vert burst into the kitchen, shirt on backwards and hair messy.

"I heard the scream, what happened?" Everyone looked to Stella and began laughing.

"Stella's scared of the toaster!" Spinner taunted.

"I am not!" She defended herself.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"I swear, Spinner, I will use this!" She held the spatula menacingly, and he backed off. Once her back was turned, he muttered "Yes you are," just to get the last word. _THWAK!_ The spatula made contact with the back of his head.

"OWCH!" He cried, picking up the spatula and flinging it at her. Vert simply shook his head and went back to bed as the spatula flew straight into Stella's open hand. She began chasing Spinner around the kitchen.

"Ahahah! No! Please! Mercy!" He pleaded, though she was only hitting him lightly.

"I'm _not_ afraid of toasters!" She cried as the team watched in amusement. Then the toaster ejected Stanford's second piece of toast. Stella jumped onto the counter and shrieked, dropping the spatula. Spinner grabbed it and waved it in victory, pointing it at her.

"AHA! So you_ are_ afraid of toasters!" He accused as the kitchen timer went off.

"My omelet!" She exclaimed, but Spinner wouldn't let her past him.

"Admit you're afraid of toasters…" He sang. She groaned.

"I do _not_ have time for this." Suddenly, Stella disappeared, and Spinner felt a cool breeze blow past him. He turned around in confusion to find her lifting the omelet onto a plate.

"Perfect." She smiled deviously.

"How'd you get-and how did-and how…" Spinner asked.

"Vaporization. One of my greatest talents." She smirked and set two plates on the table.

"Not fair!" Spinner complained, getting out his cereal. "I want superpowers…"

"Here." Stella tied a towel around his neck like a cape, reading the label on his cereal box. "You can be Captain Sugar-Rush." Spinner glanced at the towel, then continued shoveling spoonfuls of marshmallows into his mouth. "Eh. Not bad. Marshmallow Power! AWAAAAYYYY!" He joked, running around the room, fist out Super-man style. Everyone glanced up, then returned to their food.

"So, how 'bout those Yankees?" Sherman, browsing through the newspaper, said to Stanford. He shrugged in response.

"Great omelet, Stella. How'd you learn to cook so well?" Zoom asked. She blushed at the compliment.

"Not Vandal!" She responded. "Hey, you thirsty?" She walked over to the fridge.

"I'll have some orange juice." He responded. Then, the toaster popped up.

"AAH!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Vert." Sage stopped the leader from returning to his room. "I need to speak with you about Stella."

"Sure." The leader said.

"I have an intelligence test prepared. It will get more difficult as she answers questions correctly, starting at a low intelligence level. This way we can determine which grade to enroll her in, or if she needs more schooling before entering a more normal life." The Sentient explained.

"Sounds good." Vert agreed. "I'll tell her."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Stella sat in front of a blue Sentient-Tech screen.

"Are you ready to begin?" Sage asked. Stella pretended to crack her knuckles.

"Bring it." She said simply. Sage activated the test, and a math problem appeared on the screen. Stella read it, her face flipping between amusement and outrage. Finally, she stood up.

"Are you serious? Two plus two? I may be new here, but please give me a least a little more credit! Solving systems of equations, some geometry, even multiplication tables are better than two plus two! Gah!" She sat back down in the chair, her body language shouting that she was ticked off.

"Stella! It's just to test what grade level you're at!" Agura, whose presence Stella had requested and the only person present besides Vert, reminded her. "Sorry if you're offended."

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blown up like that. I just hate being underestimated. It kinda happened a lot back on Vandal." She said shyly. Vert placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't take it personally. We're just trying to help." She exhaled.

"I know. Okay, next question please." Sage pressed another button, raising the difficulty to a fifth grade level. Stella flew through the questions, and soon Sage was at a tenth grade math level. Stella began taking longer on the questions, asking for a piece of scratch paper. She passed, and Sage moved up to eleventh grade, one year above Stella's age group. She struggled through the first few questions, then stopped.

"I don't know the answer." She admitted. Sage was shocked at her success. She had answered nearly every question up to the tenth grade level correctly.

"How were you able to answer the questions?" She inquired. Stella took a deep breath.

"Be right back." She hopped off the stool and disappeared into her room. While she was gone, Vert, Sage and Agura discussed her success.

"How did she do?" Vert asked. Sage showed him the results.

"Wow. How would she know how to solve those?" Agura asked. The Sentient simply shrugged, as confused as he was. Stella returned, holding something her bag. The three looked at each other, puzzled. Stella reached into the bag and pulled out…

"Is that a data log?" Vert asked, gaping at the glowing blue object.

"Yes." Stella responded.

"How did you obtain that?" Sage asked, reaching for it. Stella instinctively pulled away.

"A…friend of mine gave it to me. He was a Blue Sentient, just like you." Sage gasped, but Stella continued. "When I was in the slave pits, I always stayed tucked in the deepest corners, away from the Vandals, coming out only to eat. One day I stumbled upon a glowing, floating cube. Fascinated, I reached out and poked it." Vert smiled at this. "I was eight, okay?" She defended herself. "It spun around, then a Blue Sentient was sitting in front of me. His eyes scanned the dirt wall, finding me." I leapt back from the life form in fear.

"Wha-who are you?" I asked, balling my tiny fists, prepared to fight for my small corner of safety. He smiled at me in amusement.

"I wish you no harm, child." He reassured me. I had never met someone who felt that way, and didn't believe him.

"Who are you?" I demanded, unaware that I was dealing with someone with wisdom far beyond mine.

"My name is Mortalus. I am a Blue Sentient. Could you please tell me where I am?" He asked.

"You're on Vandal. In the slave pits. Why are you blue?" I asked bluntly.

"I was born this way. (XD Lady GaGa reference!) Who are you?"

"I'm a slave." I responded. I hadn't known a name at the time. "Same as you."

"Those beasts! You're a child! What could they possibly use you for?" He exclaimed.

"Am not!" I whined, helping his cause. "And I don't do much work. Mostly, Hatch tests his…his…aspearments on me." He gave a sad smile.

"He experiments on you? Why would he…Where is your Homeworld?" He asked.

"What's a Homeworld?" I asked, but he was already reaching toward me. I took a step back.

"I will not hurt you." He promised again. His glowing fingers found the chain around my neck, pulling it out from under my shirt.

"A Peacekeeper." I heard him gasp. "But so young…" He examined the ornament. "Undetermined. Interesting." He gestured to the wall behind him.

"I've stored some food behind this wall. If you can retrieve it, I'll be more then happy to share with you." Always motivated by food, I eagerly began to scrape at the wall, when he stopped me.

"Try to move the dirt with your mind." He said. "Become it, feel it, but do not touch it. Focus on opening a hole in it." I thought he was crazy, but scrunched my eyes shut and focused on the rock. It's hard to describe my powers, but I almost felt myself pulling on the dirt. When I opened my eyes, there was an opening in the side of the pit. I looked inside to find…nothing. It was simply an empty cavern. I angrily turned to the Sentient, who was staring at the opening with joy.

"You tricked me!" I hissed, not wanting to disturb the Vandals. His face lit up like he was getting an idea, then he grinned evilly.

"Yes, and you fell for it, you stupid girl! Now I can escape, but I'm not taking you with me!" He snarled. Blinded by anger, I struck at him, until his hand stopped my tiny fist.

"Look." He said simply. I realized that my fist was surrounded by flames. I screamed, then silenced myself, shaking my fist madly. The flames stopped. The Blue pointed to my necklace. Two of the spheres were glowing almost blindingly. They dimmed, then showed a small fire, no greater than the light from a match. Another had a small pile of dirt in it.

"You are capable of great things," He said, taking the necklace from me and flipping it over. He read a series of lines, etched on the back, something I had never been able to read. "Stella."

"As days went by, he helped me grow accustomed to my new powers. We practiced in the small cavern I had opened by expanding it and creating a tunnel that lead out of the stronghold. I was weak at first, only clearing a foot or so at a time, but grew stronger in my powers. As I practiced, I learned about him."

"He had been captured by the Vandals along with a few other Blues, but they died long ago. He stored their shells in the very cave we hid in. He taught me of freedom, a life I had never lived. Together, we finished the tunnel, escaped from the slave pit, and lived in the jungle. The tunnel came out only a few feet in front of the stronghold, but once out we ran far away. I had learned what was safe to eat when foraging for the Vandals, and lived mostly on edible plants. He taught me so much, about the war, about math, science, how to read and write." A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

"He was the closest thing I had to a friend. Together, we learned about my powers. Eventually, I was able to summon fire in midair, or purify water from a stream. I created the system of tunnels we escaped from," She nodded at Vert, for Agura had been unconscious. "And traveled all over Vandal."

"I became curious about my past, but Mortalus would change the subject if I asked. Once I turned eleven, he began hibernating more, coming out to teach only for a few hours a day. Every day I looked at his hibernation cube, wondering if he would come out. I became better at hunting for food and even started a garden. While he hibernated, I would sneak in to Hatch's lab, stealing the potions that had caused me so much pain and destroying his experiments. Mortalus would not have approved; he hated when I was in danger. I thought he was overprotective, so I kept these personal missions secret." She opened her bag, showing them various bottles and potions.

"One day, Mortalus gave me these data logs. He told me that if I ever found a Blue Sentient to tell them my story, and to give them this." She held up a data log.

"He warned me not to trust anyone, to stay hidden in the jungle, begged me to survive. The second data log, he said, would continue my education." She opened the other data log, and a screen showed up with instructions and a math problem similar to the ones Stella had been trying to solve on it. She closed the data log and finished her story.

"He asked to be buried with his fellow Blue Sentients. We had moved their shells from the slave pit to a cave near our makeshift home. I walked with him there and he sat on the dirt. I'll never forget his last words. "Stella. You are the last of your people. Stay alive, trust no one. Some day I shall return." He formed a sort of pyramid artifact with his last dying energy, and I was alone again." She bowed her head, a tear making its way down her face. She handed the first data log to Sage.

"You should watch this. You're the only one who can open it." She said. Sage opened it, and a hologram of a male Blue Sentient appeared and began talking. Stella gasped at the sight of her friend, but her eyes remained on the screen.

"Greetings, fellow Blue Sentient. I believe that if you are watching this message, there is hope for the Multiverse still. I was captured with several other Blues when the Vandals invaded our Homeworld. We were enslaved by Kalus." An image of himself and several other Blues in what seemed to be a cave appeared. I put myself into a deep hibernation mode, hoping that in time, I would be found, and be able to help restore my civilization. Unfortunately, my time has come. In my lifespan on Vandal, I have accomplished one act: I have found a Peacekeeper, one of the forgotten race." An image of Stella, at a younger age, showed on the screen.

"According to history, they are a people who share most of their DNA with humans, but possess the extraordinary ability to control an element. My discovery has increased in value as Stella has control over all four of the elements, and one power which remains to be discovered." Stella's amulet appeared on the screen, rotating, them zoomed in to show the inactive black sphere. She instinctively pulled out the amulet and examined it, then held it close to her.

"The Peacekeepers were a benevolent people, true to their name. They helped settle wars between races, and somehow remained unattacked during the Great War between Reds and Blues. Unfortunately, this came to an end when the Vandals invaded their Homeworld. The Peacekeepers were a great race, successful in agriculture but unwilling to grow as a civilization in modern science, not even using electricity. The Vandals knew they were unprepared for a war, and slaughtered nearly the entire population, bringing the end of a great and powerful race. Stella appears to be the only survivor. My theory is that she somehow survived the massacre and was enslaved. Hatch uses her for tests, though I do not know why he would need potions that cause humans harm. It seems that another experiment of his has caused her to lose all memory of her home. I have made this message in hopes that you may be able to restore her memories, so that she may know of her people. I have attempted to educate her to her Earth grade level, in hopes that one day she will live a normal life. I have also left my genetic makeup with her, so that one day I may rise again. I wish you luck in your future battle to save the Blues from extinction." The hologram disappeared.

"This is incredible!" Sage exclaimed. "Stella, do you have the blue Hedron Halotrobe? (This is what they called Sol's in the show). I will keep it, and one day we will be able to restore Mortalus." Stella rummaged around in her bag and handed the obelisk to Sage.

"Can we really bring him back to life?" She asked, hope shining in her eyes.

"One day, Stella." Sage responded. "One day."

"Sage?" She asked. At a nod from the Sentient, she continued. "Who are the Peacekeepers?"

"I will check the Mobi's database." Sage replied.

"Whatever they are, sounds like you're a pretty special one." Vert said. "All four powers." She blushed.

"I wish I knew what the fifth was…" She gazed sadly at the black sphere, when Sage returned.

"There was little data, as it appears your people chose to avoid technology. That explains why you know little of the electronic devices we have here in the Hub, but are skilled at cooking and sewing." Stella smiled at the compliment.

"The Peacekeepers were a peaceable race, and often settled disputes between other planets. They were very powerful, but chose to keep to themselves and felt no need to control the Multiverse, unlike the Sark or Vandals. It appears that they helped negotiate the truce between Blue and Red Sentients. After that, the Vandals invaded your Homeworld. I regret what I am about to say, Stella, but the Peacekeepers, and everything they stood for, were destroyed. Not long after, with nothing standing in his way, Krytus rebelled. You are the last of your kind." Sage finished.

"I'm alone again." She spoke softly, then turned and simply walked out of the Hub. As she left, Vert and Agura discussed their findings.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Vert asked.

"I don't know." Agura replied. "She tries so hard to be strong, but I think she's dying inside. She wanted a family so badly, Vert, and to know that any chance she had was murdered…it must be killing her."

"I still can't believe she met a Blue Sentient. It's a good thing, though. It'll be way easier to get her in school." Vert commented.

"School?" Agura asked, crinkling her eyebrows in confusion. "Isn't it a little early? And she won't exactly…fit in."

"Well, she can't stay here forever. She needs an education so she can eventually get a job, live a normal life, make baby Peacekeepers." They smiled at the joke. "I know you think of her as a sister, Agura, but we have to let her go." Agura leaned into his chest.

"I know. I'm going to miss her." Vert turned her around to face him.

"We all will." They stared into each others eyes, each lost in their own thoughts, when, as if controlled by an outside force, their lips connected and they were kissing tenderly. Vert placed a hand on her waist. Agura stepped into him. After a minute, they both pulled away, Agura staring up at her leader in surprise, Vert blushing.

"I shouldn't have-"

"I'm sorry I-" They stopped the stuttering, and both sprinted away, confused at the sudden chemistry.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zoom saw Stella "fly" up to the roof from the Chopper. He separated the wheels and, launching off the Buster, flew up to her. On the roof, he found her gazing into space, devoid of emotion.

He sat next to her. "You alright?"

"No." She responded shortly. Then it all came pouring out. She told him of Mortalus, of her education, and of the Peacekeepers and how she was the last one.

"I'm alone AGAIN, Zoom! She sobbed into his shoulder. "I always held on to a slip of hope, thinking that maybe my family was out there, and that maybe they did want me back, but they're dead! They're all dead, and I'm alone." Her chest heaved as the tears spilled. He held her close to him.

"Stella. Look at me." He gently took her face in his hands so that caring brown eyes met watering blue ones. "You are NOT. ALONE. You have me, you have Agura, you have this whole team looking out for you. One day you might even have Mortalus. But I swear, you are not alone. It's like Vert says: No one gets left behind. I'm sorry that your family died, but you have us. Battle Force 5 is a family. Your family." She held his gaze for another minute, then kissed him, passionately.

"How do you always know the right thing to say?" She asked him. He looked into those eyes and poured his soul into them.

"Because I love you."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, heads up y'all! This is THE LAST CHAPTER! But, there is a sequel coming up! Keep your eyes open and to everyone who reviewed this story! I couldn't have done it without you!**

Zoom held his breath, awaiting her response. It turned out to be a long kiss. When she pulled away, her answer completed him more than anything ever could.

"I love you too."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Later that day, Vert called a team meeting. "I need to talk to you guys about Stella."

"Sure, but where is she?" Sherman asked.

"I distracted her. She's in the kitchen making cookies." Zoom replied.

"Distraction AND cookies for us? Nice!" Spinner high-fived him.

"Anyway," Vert began. "She met a Sentient." The team, minus Agura and Zoom, gasped as Vert and Sage explained her past encounters with the Blue.

"She has also been taught to a tenth grade level. Mortalus left her this data log, timing the lesson plans perfectly." Sage explained. Then the leader and Sentient explained Stella's roots.

"A Peacekeeper? Is that why she can do all that stuff?" Spinner asked.

"Yes, and she has more powers that are yet to be discovered." Sage responded. "The Peacekeepers were a friendly yet isolated people. They did not share much about their abilities."

"So, why'd we call a meeting?" Stanford asked. Agura nudged him.

"Let him talk, Stan." Vert shyly nodded his thanks, making Agura blush, for they were both unsure of their relationship after their…encounter.

"Basically because she can't live here forever. She needs a normal life, and it's our job to make sure she gets one."

"What do you mean?" Spinner asked. A life where you had to do nothing but bake cookies didn't sound too bad to the Cortez.

"School. The problem is, the high school isn't close enough to the Hub, and she needs somewhere to stay." Everyone looked at each other, perplexed.

"Well, I know she wouldn't like it, but there is an orphanage near the high school." Sherman suggested. Everyone grimaced at the thought of Stella's reaction.

"Great idea, Sherm, but I think we should leave it as a last resort." Vert replied, kindly but truthfully.

"Well, my aunt and uncle moved to Phoenix last month." AJ began. "I think they're still looking for a maid/nanny for their kids. I think they have a spare bedroom they were going to let the maid use."

"Not bad. I'll ask Stella, and maybe you two can go check it out." Vert said.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Stanford interrupted. "How do we know she can be a maid? She can barely use the toaster!"

"I guess we'll just have to teach her." Vert said. Stanford groaned. "Aw, come on Stan! You'll be doing the chores anyway, just with someone watching you."

"Fine." He grumbled.

"Well, now that that's settled, I'm gonna go talk to Stella. AJ, you wanna come?" Vert asked, walking towards the kitchen.

"Sure." AJ followed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"A maid? I don't do slave work anymore, Vert." Stella reminded him, nibbling a chocolate chip cookie. "Hey! These are pretty good. If I do say so myself."

Vert smiled. "It's not slave work, you would get paid. You'd also get to stay in the house, which solves a lot of our problems."

"Yeah, and it wouldn't be anything to hard. You'd make meals; do some cleaning, play with the kids, nothing too bad." AJ explained, taking a bite out of his third cookie.

"Alright. I'll give it a shot." Stella said thoughtfully.

"Great! Wanna go meet them?" AJ asked.

"I have to finish my cookie!" She reminded him, not even halfway done.

"Eat it on the way, now let's GO!" AJ grabbed her arm and dragged her off.

"Wait!" She said. "Can we ride our bicycles? BICYCLES? BICYCLES?" She sang the last three words.

"How'd you learn a Queen song?" Stanford, who was in the Hub, asked.

"Well, I pressed a button on a thingamabob, and it started playing!" She said. "Cause we, are the champions, my friends! BUM-BUM-BUHHHHH, BUMH!" She sang, pretending to pound piano keys for the beats.

"Impressive." Stanford said.

"Fat-bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go rooound!" She belted and jumped in the GearSlammer.

"This should be a fun ride." AJ joked and drove off.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"You're gonna let me drive, right?" AJ asked, driving onto the Salt Flats.

"Depends." She replied mischievously. "So, you're aunt and uncle, huh? Are they nice?"

"Oh yeah!" AJ responded. "My uncle's a pretty big lawyer, though, and my aunt is an interior decorator, so they're busy. That's what you're here for."

"Are the kids nice?" She asked nervously.

"Jessie and Jake? Their parents may be rich, but they're not spoiled. They're the cutest kids ever!" AJ exclaimed.

"Rich?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, so I bet you're getting paid pretty well." She looked confused, then remembered what Agura had told her.

"So, I'm an em-ploy-ee?" She carefully sounded it out. AJ smiled.

"Yup. I think you'll like your job, though. Cleaning isn't all that fun, but cooking and taking care of kids? I think you'll be good at it."

"Works for me." She shrugged and looked out the window as they drove.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Wow! Look at all these buildings! They're bigger than the diner!" Stella exclaimed as they drove through Phoenix.

"They get a LOT bigger, trust me." AJ said. He pointed out buildings such as libraries, restaurants, and schools. Stella was enraptured by the sights. After twenty minutes or so, they were in one of the wealthier suburbs. AJ pulled into the driveway.

"Here we are. I'll introduce you, and they'll probably show you around, have you meet the kids, you know the drill." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh. Right. Well, just be yourself. I'm sure the kids will love you!" He rang the doorbell. A professional, harried looking woman in her thirties answered.

"One sec, Barb." She spoke into a Bluetooth, then gasped. "AJ? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Aunt Julie!" They embraced.

"How have you been?" The woman asked. "Oh, who's this?" She smiled knowingly at AJ.

"This is Stella. She's a friend of mine." Stella stepped forward and shook the lady's hand.

"Hi. I'm interested in the nanny/maid position you were offering." She said professionally.

"Wonderful!" She seemed impressed with Stella's air of business. "Well, I'm Mrs. Dalton, but you can call me Julie. Please, come in!" She took them into the kitchen. "I'll get the kids. Can I offer you a snack?"

"Always!" AJ exclaimed. She smiled at her nephew. "Why am I not surprised?" She got out a plate of cheese and crackers, then called up the stairs. "Jessie? Jake? Your cousin's here!" Stella heard footsteps bounding down the stairs.

"AJ!" Two young voices exclaimed in unison. Stella looked to see two young, fair-skinned children tackling AJ. The boy looked about six, and had AJ's light blonde hair and blue eyes. He was holding a green lightsaber. The girl had the same hair, in wispy pigtails, light blue eyes, and was wearing a costume princess dress and tiara.

"Hi guys!" AJ picked the girl up and swung her around, making her giggle. "Look how big you've both gotten, Jessie!" He set her down and gave the Jedi a high-five. "Cool lightsaber, Jake my man!"

"It comes wif the sound effects!" Jake, the boy with the lightsaber, exclaimed. He swung the lightsaber around, making it hum and flash. "BOOM! I AM YOUR FAHDER!"

"Nice!" AJ encouraged him. "Don't break your mommy's pretty kitchen, ok bud?" Jake nodded seriously.

"I will only use the Force for good! Beware the Dark Side!" He swung the lightsaber again, almost hitting Stella. "Hey! Who's that?" Stella smiled at him.

"Hi, Jake. I'm Stella." She crouched down to his level. "That's such a cool lightsaber! Is green your favorite color?" He nodded. AJ gave her a thumbs up as she turned toward Jessie, who was staring at her in awe.

"Wow! AJ, you didn't tell me your cousin was a princess! Look at your pretty dress!" She exclaimed. Jessie giggled.

"I'm not a pwincess! It's just a cwostume!" Stella nodded.

"Oh, I see."

"She's _supposed_ to be princess Leia, but she wants to be Cinderella instead!" Jake huffed.

"Why do you need Princess Leia?" Stella asked, playing along.

"Because then I can be Chewie! And save her! GWARRRR!" Jake growled, doing his best Chewbacca impression.

"Well, you was s'posed to be Prince Charming!" Jessie pouted. "I need someone to save me out of the tower!"

"Well, maybe he can be Prince Charming this time, and next time you can be Princess Leia." Stella suggested.

"Don't wanna." Jake pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"But Prince Charming is a hero! You could rescue the princess!" Stella convinced him. Jake's face lit up.

"I'll be the bestest hero EVER!" He ran up to his room. "Come on, Jessie! I'll save you!" They ran up the stairs eagerly.

"Wow. They really took to you!" Julie exclaimed. "I think this will work out just fine! When can you start?"

"Aunt Julie, she still needs to go to school." AJ reminded his aunt.

"I know. She can drop the kids off on her way, and pick them up afterwards. Can you drive, honey?" Angela asked Stella.

"No, but she's sixteen, so she'll be taking the test soon." AJ covered.

"Great! I'll talk to your uncle, and can we give you a call back?" Angela asked.

"Sounds great!" Stella said. AJ gave his aunt his cell phone number.

"Hey guys, we're leaving!" He called up the stairs. Jessie and Jake, now in a crown, came running down.

"Bye AJ!" They each hugged his legs. "Bye guys!" He laughed, prying them off. "Say bye to Stella!"

"BYE STELLA!" They chorused, tackling her. Stella's eyes widened at the contact, then she smiled, patting them on the back. "Bye!" Angela waved as they walked out the door.

"So, whaddya think?" AJ asked once in the car.

"They were so cute! I would love the job!" She exclaimed immediately. AJ smiled.

"I knew you'd like 'em." He thought of what he had told his aunt. "You need to learn to drive." He realized.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?" Stella asked nervously.

"Aw, it's not so bad!" AJ began explaining traffic lights, speed limits, and everything he knew to Stella, who listened intently.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"How'd it go?" Vert asked as the GearSlammer pulled in. Stella hopped out.

"I got the job!" She smiled brightly.

"Really?" Zoom asked, frowning.

"Well, almost definitely." She flipped her hair and shrugged. "Why so sad?"

"Well, if you got the job in Phoenix…you have to stay in Phoenix." He said with remorse.

"Oh, Zoom, I didn't think of that!" She apologized.

"Hey, it's your decision, Stella." Sherman said kindly.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you want." Vert offered. Stella sighed. She looked troubled.

"Thanks. You guys have been awesome, but I can't stay here and do nothing! I'd feel guilty. Besides, I want to try school, try having a job, do something with my life, you know? It's been fun, and I'll miss all of you, but…I feel like I should do this."

Vert laid a hand on her shoulder. "That's awesome, Stella. I'm sure you'll do a great job with those kids. We'll miss you too."

"Hey, I'm not leaving yet!" She lightened the mood. "I have a few things I need to learn from you guys."

"What?" Spinner asked.

"What's a lightsaber, how do I get my license, and who's Prince Charming?" She asked. The team looked at each other.

"I'll get her up-to-date on the girl stuff." Agura volunteered.

"She can watch me do my chores!" Stanford offered.

"STAR WARS MARATHON!" Spinner exclaimed with glee. He dragged Stella up to the game room. "C'mon, guys!" Everyone sighed.

"Spinner, not everyone needs to/has to/wants to see Star Wars!" Sherman reminded his brother. Spinner huffed.

"Fine, I'll just explain it to her then." They walked off, Spinner already getting into his lecture. "Ok, so there's this guy named Obi-Wan Kenobi, right?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Zoom and Stella sat down in the game room.

"So, a movie is like a really long TV show?" She asked, crinkling her eyebrows. _She's so cute when she's confused_ Zoom thought.

"Yeah, they're usually about an hour or so." He responded, handing her the remote. "Wanna start it?" She looked at the group of buttons.

"Uhm…"

"C'mon, we practiced this. You can do it!" He encouraged. She hesitantly pressed a few buttons on the remote and aimed it at the TV, squinting her eyes shut and looking away.

"What's wrong?" Zoom asked, laughing at her fear.

"Did it explode?" She asked.

"No, it started! See, you did it!" He congratulated her with a quick kiss. She laughed and pulled away.

"Stop that!" She lectured, but her grin told him otherwise. "It's starting! Hey, what movie is this?"

"It's Finding Nemo. It's like, one of Disney's best movies. Trust me, you NEED to see it!"

"Alright." She said. Several minutes into the movie, when Marlin was racing after the boat, he heard Stella sniffling.

"You okay?" He turned to see her eyes watering and paused the movie.

"It's so sad!" She cried. "He was trying so hard to protect him, and now…now he's DEAD!" She sniffled.

"No, Stella, there's at least an hour left. Almost all movies have happy endings." He encouraged, pressing play. "It gets happier. See? Dory. This movie just got ten times better." They watched on, Stella getting over her tears. Once Bruce began the feeding frenzy, she looked nervous.

"Are they gonna get eaten?" She whispered. Zoom held in a laugh.

"No, Stella, they aren't. Trust me, there's a happy ending!" He moved closer and wrapped an arm around her, which she huddled into when the minefield exploded. By the time they had finished the movie, most of the team had filed in.

"Aww! I love that movie!" Spinner exclaimed.

"Dude, are you crying?" Vert asked. Spinner rubbed his eyes.

"NO! I'm just…I'm allergic to sadness!" He responded.

"What'd you think, Stella?" Zoom asked.

"That was so good! Dory was AMAZING!" She exclaimed. Everyone snickered.

"Hey, you know what movie she needs to see?" Spinner asked. everyone groaned. "STAR WARS!"

"Gee, look at the time!" Stella held her wrist up, despite the absence of a watch. She fake-yawned. "Wow, I'm gettingtiredgoodnightbye!" She sprinted out the door. Everyone followed, leaving Spinner alone.

"Ah well!" He said, propping his feet up and beginning the first movie.

A Few Days Later:

The team sat at the kitchen table, eating another batch of Stella's cookies and discussing her "Earth" education.

"She knows about all the princesses and little girl stuff. I took her to the grocery store, too, in case she ever needs to pick up groceries for her job, and got her some pajamas, a hairbrush, that sort of thing." Agura said, checking off an item on a list and passing it to Spinner.

"I covered Star Wars, Nerf guns, LEGO's, and Pokemon. I also showed her a few cartoons. " Spinner said, crossing them off.

"How generous of you." Stanford remarked sarcastically, taking the paper. "I showed her how to use the vacuum cleaner, washer, dryer and iron." He groaned and passed it to Sherman.

"I taught her about all the kitchen appliances, and made a few recipes. I also showed her how to use graphing calculators." He scribbled out a section.

"I showed her how to drive, and we got her license yesterday. I also enrolled her in high school. It's only a few miles from your Aunt's house, AJ, and a couple blocks from Jessie's preschool." Vert wrote on the notepad.

"Awesome, dude! I told her everything I know about Jessie and Jake, and went over the details of her job with my aunt. She'll be staying in their spare room, and be able to go to school, too." AJ said. He passed the notepad to Zoom.

"I helped her with the whole "high school food chain" thing and drove her around Phoenix. She should be able to find her way around, and I also showed her where her classes are at the high school. We also went through a few more lessons on the data log, to get her caught up and reviewed."

"Alright, looks like we covered everything." Vert said, taking the notepad. Agura sighed.

"I just can't believe she's going to leave." She said wistfully.

"We'll all miss her, Agura. But hey, she hasn't left yet!" Sherman replied.

"Speaking of which, where'd that little Peacekeeper go?" Stanford asked.

"I'll go find her." Zoom volunteered, standing up. He found Stella sitting by the Splitwire in the Hub, absorbed in a thick, dusty-looking book.

"Whatcha reading?" He asked. She held up the volume, and Zoom struggled to make out what seemed to be German words on the worn cover.

"Advanced Electromagnetics. It's actually pretty fascinating for a science book." She told him.

"Are you mocking my education?" Tezz stormed in, snatching the book. "You need not laugh at what you don't understand!"

"Hey!" She cried. "I admit some of the concepts are challenging, such as Schweissen's Theory on Magnetic-Levitation of Inanimate Objects, but I did understand a good portion of it. It's quite innovative research."

"That is incredibly immature, laughing at a genius such as Schweissen! Some of my best work was based off of his research!" Tezz retorted angrily, when suddenly, he paused. "How would you know about the theory? This book is not written in English!"

"Are you sure? Because I could read it just fine." Stella responded confusedly.

"You must stop this childish act! No one is finding your disrespect funny!" Tezz tried not to yell.

"It's not an _act!_" Stella replied, her frustration growing. Small flames were flickering around her fingers, and she was clearly struggling to keep cool. "I'm telling you, I can read this!" Zoom left the heated (A/N: VERY PUNNY!) argument and stuck his head into the kitchen.

"Uh, guys? You might wanna see this…" They got up and followed him to find Stella and Tezz.

"You couldn't possibly understand a book written in German!"

"Well, I do, so wrap your over-grown ego around THAT!" Stella snapped.

"Ugh!" Tezz yelled in anger. "Stop diese dumme Tat, Sie Erdnuss Gehirn!"

"I AM NOT! And it's _not_ an act!" Stella shouted at him. "Why do you think you're more talented than everyone else?" The rest of the team entered then, and Sherman ran to restrain Tezz. AJ tried to pull Stella back, but when he grabbed her he let go immediately.

"Ah! Hot! Hot, hot, hot, hot hot hot hot hot HOOOOOT!" He bellowed, shaking his hands. Stella winced.

"Sorry." She apologized sheepishly. AJ's hands were surrounded by balls of water.

"Aaah." He sighed with relief. "Much better."

"Tezz, Stella, you guys need to cool it! Literally!" Vert scolded, holding Stella back. "What are you fighting about?"

"This…_juvenile_ is mocking my work by acting as if she can read this book!" Tezz showed the cover and inside pages to Vert. He sighed.

"Okay, Stella?"

"I _can_ read the book. He says it's not in English, but I think he's lying, which I take as a personal insult to my Earth newbiness!" She shot back, using a word she had learned from Spinner and almost making Vert crack a smile.

"Okay, let's take you to Sage."

"Good. Then we can get this prank sorted out and administer proper punishment." Tezz said, looking directly at Stella.

She glared at him and lunged out of Vert's grip and towards the electromagnet expert. She planted herself an inch from his face, flames flickering from her hands.

"Watch your back, magnet boy. Because one day, Red here isn't gonna be able to protect you." She hissed as Vert dragged her back. Tezz paled slightly.

"Nervous, Tezz?" Spinner asked.

"Pff!" Tezz tried to shrug off his fear. "That child does not intimidate me." But inside, he was shaking.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Sage, is there any way to test how many languages someone can read?" Vert asked.

"Easily. Why?" The Sentient responded.

"We need to test Stella. She was reading Tezz's German book earlier." Vert responded.

"And, as encounters between the two typically do, it ended in a fight." He looked purposefully at Stella, who was sitting crossly in a chair.

"He started it." Vert sighed.

"Please, just pull up the test."

"Of course." Sage said. "Stella, tell me what this says, and provide an accurate response." Sage tested her in several basic languages such as French, Spanish and German. Stella accurately translated each, and Sage moved on to Chinese, Italian, Arabic, and Portuguese. Soon, Stella was translating languages spoken only by certain tribes in Africa, or isolated regions of Asia. After about half an hour, Sage stopped.

"There are no more languages to test her on." Vert whistled.

"What about that one?" Stella pointed to the Sentient symbol for "Leader" on Vert's shoulder.

"You can read Sentient symbols?" Sage asked in amazement.

"Sure. He's the leader, Agura's your hunter, and Zoom is the scout." She replied.

"If this is true, she may be able to translate ancient Sentient hieroglyphics!" Sage exclaimed.

"Sure, but why can she read all these languages?" Vert asked.

"I believe it has something to do with her heritage. The Peacekeepers were known for being able to settle disputes between races. Being able to speak and understand any language would have been a useful skill."

"So…Tezz was wrong?" Stella asked brightly. Vert groaned.

"Rub it in and I'll kill you, but yeah."

"HA! So it does happen!" She said smugly. Vert had to smile.

"Okay, so we all wanted it to happen. But it'll hurt his ego enough without you-"

"Throwing it in his face like a pie?" She finished. "I won't." She held out her pinky. Vert looked at her, confused. "Pinky swear!" She exclaimed. "Spinner taught me." They shook pinkies.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Good news guys." Vert and Stella walked back into the Hub. "Stella can translate any language now, too."

"Nice!" Spinner exclaimed, high-fiving her.

"Not _as_ cool as controlling fire, but good for you." Stanford shrugged. Stella shot him a look, but smiled.

"Hate to break up the happiness, guys, but Stella starts school tomorrow, and Phoenix is like three hours away." AJ interrupted. Stella looked sad.

"Bye guys." She said forlornly. Agura ran up and gave her a hug.

"What kind of goodbye is that? I'm gonna miss you, hon!" She joked as the "sisters" embraced.

"Aww! Group hug!" Spinner yelled, running over as everyone piled around Stella. She separated, saying individual goodbyes.

"Vert, thanks for letting me stay and helping me so much. It means a lot." She said formally to the leader, and shook hands with him, then ended up getting pulled into a hug.

"We'll miss ya, kid."

"AJ, sorry about burning your hands. They should be fine in a few days." She apologized. He hugged her.

"No big deal, eh? Hey, promise you'll come back and parachute with me some time?" He smiled and released her.

"Spinner, Sherman, thanks for the tech-y help. I guess Jake will have someone to beat at his video games." She smiled as the brothers hugged her. "Keep Spinner out of the cookies." She whispered to Sherman.

"Stanford. I'm gonna miss ya, you ego-maniac, you!" She laughed, and he gave in and hugged her.

"You too, you old hot-head!" He responded jokingly.

"Agura," Stella began, but was hugged tightly. "Thanks for everything, sis. I'll miss you so much." She said softly, as tears formed in both their eyes.

"Zoom-" Stella turned to find the Scout, but he ran to the Chopper and drove out of the Hub. She determinedly flew after him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Zoom! ZOOM!" Stella called, trying to stop him, and finally landing right in front of the Chopper. "I can't leave without saying goodbye!" She removed his helmet to find that he was crying. "Oh, Zoom!" She said gently, sitting with him in the middle of the Salt Flats.

"What happened?" She asked. He stood up.

"What happened? WHAT HAPPENED? You're _leaving, _Stella! And I don't want to be without you!"

"Zoom, you know I'll come back-"

"No!" He turned his back to her, and spoke almost to himself. "When I left the Order, I told myself that I just wanted to see the world, and that I would come back. I told my _friends_ I would come back. And I never did."

"Zoom, I-" He cut her off.

"Why? Because I found a new life, here. And I know you'll do the same thing. You'll make a bunch off friends at school you'll be working, and soon…you'll forget about the team. You'll forget about me. You'll forget about _us._" She turned him around and pulled him so they were chest-to-chest.

"Zoom, look at me." She took his face in her soft hands. "I swear to you, I won't forget. I will NEVER forget the team, and I will NEVER forget us." She brought her lips onto his, and they kissed. When they pulled away, he spoke first.

"Promise?"

She laughed and held out her pinky. "Pinky-swear."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Alright, all aboard for Phoenix!" AJ called, even though Stella was already in the car.

"AJ, if I have to look at these people for one more minute, I'm going to start crying!" Stella said. "STEP ON IT!" AJ laughed and pulled away as everyone waved goodbye. A tear slipped from Stella's eye as she looked at all the kind faces who had helped her, and she turned to face the window as they drove onto the Salt Flats.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Stella! Hello! The kids haven't stopped talking about you!" Mrs. Dalton greeted Stella cheerfully. She plastered a smile on her face to mask the tears as the kids ran down the stairs.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Vert watched Zoom as the GearSlammer disappeared over the horizon.

"Gonna miss her?" Vert was surprised when Zoom rushed to his side and hugged him.

"I loved her!" He cried, burying his face in his leader's chest.

"I know Zoom. But, if you love something, you have to let it go. And if she loves you…" Vert spoke the famous words to assure the young man.

"She'll come back."


End file.
